Edison rallies past San Juan Hills to enter bye week with second straight win

Edison High's Cameron Eden, left, Mike Walters, middle, and Bryce Gilbert, right, take down San Juan Hills quarterback Jake Carreon in a nonleague football game on Friday.

Los Angeles Times

Sept. 7, 2018 11:55 PM PT

Sports Editor

Reporting from San Juan Capistrano —

The bye week is coming at a good time for Edison High’s football team. With no game next week, the Chargers don’t have to worry about the status of injured quarterback Patrick Angelovic.

The question now is whether the senior will be available to play after the bye.

Angelovic went down with an apparent shoulder injury in the fourth quarter at San Juan Hills on Friday. His three touchdown passes in the second half helped Edison rally for a 33-14 nonleague win.

Afterward, Edison coach Jeff Grady did not want to talk about the specifics of Angelovic’s injury. Angelovic completed 13 of 17 passes for 153 yards.

“We’ll see what happens,” said Grady, adding that losing Angelovic would be a big loss for the Chargers. “He’s a captain on this football team. He earned that title. We’ll see. I’m not going to get too down yet.”

Grady stayed optimistic, especially after the defense kept the Chargers (2-2) in the game in the first half, allowing them to win their second straight game. San Juan Hills finished with negative 19 rushing yards and it turned the ball over twice in the air and twice on downs.

I know it’s something with his collarbone, but I know it’s definitely not a full break, he told me.

— Luke Hoggard, Edison High linebacker

The Chargers trailed 7-0 at halftime. Sixty-eight yards are all the offense had to show.

“At some point it becomes a pride issue,” Grady said of the offensive struggles in the first half. “You got to want it, you got to do the little things, and we weren’t doing any of that in the first half and we suffered.”

San Juan Hills High wide receiver Joey Hobert (12) celebrates his 41-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter against Edison on Friday.

In their first possession of the second half, the Chargers finally produced.

Angelovic capped an eight-play, 48-yard drive with a nine-yard pass to Nathan Nabal in the right corner of the end zone to tie the game at 7-7. Almost a minute later, Angelovic and the offense earned another shot to score.

The defense forced a quick three-and-out, and Edison took over near midfield. Angelovic went to a wide-open Ryan Rivituso on first down, resulting in a 49-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter.

San Juan Hills (1-3) finally moved the chains in the third quarter for the first time since the first quarter expired. The Chargers held the Stallions without a first down for 18½ consecutive minutes.

The Stallions managed to even things at 14-14 on Jake Carreon’s 53-yard touchdown pass to Carson Lewis. The score came on a broken play as the wide receiver got behind the defense.

Edison responded with a 5½-minute scoring drive. The offense covered 63 yards in 12 plays, the last on Angelovic’s screen pass to Cole Koffler, who jumped to catch the pass before completing the 10-yard touchdown. Forty-seven seconds into the fourth quarter, the Chargers led 21-14.

They quickly added to the advantage. Cornerback Tanner Nelson picked off Carreon’s first-down pass and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown.

“[Carreon] was watching his target the whole play, [even] before the snap,” Nelson said. “He clapped his hands, gave me a nice little indicator that he was throwing it, and I knew we had to close the game.”

Carreon’s second interception in as many drives sealed things for Edison, which scored 19 fourth-quarter points, two coming when defensive end Bryce Gilbert pushed running back Austin Hogan out of the end zone for a safety.

Defensive back Kaleo Helekahi came up with the second pick and returned it 30 yards, setting up Edison at the opponent’s 10-yard line. Then on first down, Angelovic was injured on a three-yard run. Angelovic exited and Mike Walters took over in a Wildcat formation. Walters mishandled the snap, and the Chargers turned to Braeden Boyles, a sophomore quarterback, before Kieren Spradlin came out to convert a 29-yard field goal.

If Angelovic misses time, Boyles might be next in line to be Edison’s signal-caller. The Chargers wrap up nonleague play against San Clemente at Huntington Beach High on Sept. 20.

The Chargers also have sophomore quarterback Jacob Hanlon, a transfer from Huntington Beach who will become eligible to play varsity in the Sunset League opener against Corona del Mar on Sept. 27. Hanlon is sidelined because of the CIF Southern Section 30-day sit-out period.

“I know it’s something with his collarbone, but I know it’s definitely not a full break, he told me,” Edison linebacker Luke Hoggard said of Angelovic. “We’re hoping [he recovers].”