Edison takes control
It’s the final week of the regular season, and the league and postseason fate of several teams hang in the balance Thursday and Friday.
One team, Edison, is honing in on an outright league championship. For two other teams, Fountain Valley and Brethren Christian, claiming a piece of a league title is within reach.
Brethren Christian begins the week’s local action with an Academy League showdown with Crean Lutheran. Sunset League teams Edison, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach and Marina, and Ocean View of the Golden West League, complete league play Friday.
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Thursday
Crean Lutheran (7-2) vs. Brethren Christian (8-1)
(7 p.m., Ocean View High)
The Warriors have a shot at a share of the Academy League championship when they host the league-leading Saints in a battle between highly ranked CIF Southern Section East Valley Division teams.
Fifth-ranked BC has fourth-ranked Crean Lutheran to thank for that opportunity. Last week, the then-No. 7 ranked Saints handed then-No. 2 St. Margaret’s its only league loss, 26-20, the result putting the Saints into sole possession of first place at 2-0. They ended a 38-game winning streak in league play for the Tartans (2-1) who lost out on an outright league title by dropping their final league contest of the season.
The Warriors are 1-1 in league, their lone loss, a three-point setback (34-31) two weeks ago to St. Margaret’s.
A BC win Thursday creates a three-way tie for the league championship and would give the program its first league title since 2002.
“We play for a co-championship,” BC Coach Pat McInally said. “It’s so exciting and I think the boys will be ready for the challenge. We’re pumped.”
BC eased its way to a 49-7 victory last week at Sage Hill. Running back Jordan Leonard torched the Lightning for 211 yards and five touchdowns on only 11 carries for a whopping 19 yards per carry average. Running backs Dante Sanchez and Levon Lester (76-yard run) also rushed for touchdowns.
Leonard is closing in on 2,000 yards rushing for the season. Through nine games, he has accumulated 1,882 yards and 27 touchdowns on 137 carries. He has had 13 or less carries in five of those games.
The BC offense scored more than 40 points for the eighth time this year.
Crean Lutheran quarterback Gavin Folsom threw a pair of TD passes to Nick Ellwein and rushed for a score in its 26-20 win over St. Margaret’s. The Saints, on a six-game winning streak, also can put up points: they’ve scored 50 or more points in six of their seven wins, and are averaging 43 points per game.
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Friday
Edison (6-3) vs. Newport Harbor (4-5)
(7 p.m., Newport Harbor High)
Edison, coming off an emotional win over its arch-rival, seeks an undisputed and undefeated Sunset League championship when it takes on the host Sailors.
Edison continued its mastery of Fountain Valley and possession of The Bell by leading from start to finish in its 33-7 victory over the Barons before a full house Friday at Orange Coast College’s LeBard Stadium. The winner took over sole possession of first place in the Sunset League.
The Chargers won their fourth-straight game behind a defense that set up the game’s first two touchdowns, came up with several takeaways (four interceptions) including an interception return for a score, and stymied Fountain Valley’s potent option offense.
The Chargers (4-0 in league) defeated the Barons (3-1) for the 11th consecutive year.
“They run the option really well and that offense is scary,’ Edison Coach Dave White said of Fountain Valley. “I thought our defense did a great job all night in keeping them in check. Our defense played lights out.
“We had too many penalties, turned the ball over, and our offense misfired, but our defense kept picking it up for us.”
An interception and 16-yard return by Edison safety E.J. Ginnis, who had an outstanding game, on Fountain Valley’s opening possession, set up the Chargers at the Fountain Valley 39-yard line. It led to a two-yard scoring run by running back Turner Maza. At the end of the Barons’ ensuing possession, defensive back Shaun Colamonico, in the first of two, huge plays in the first half by the junior, burst through to block a punt, giving the Chargers possession in Fountain Valley territory at the 20. Again the Chargers converted on the turnover, this time, with quarterback Griffin O’Connor and receiver Garrett White teaming on a 20-yard touchdown pass one play later.
Fountain Valley closed to within 13-7 late in the second quarter but the Chargers answered immediately when Colamonico hauled in a long pass from O’Connor and turned it into a 70-yard scoring play for a 20-7 halftime lead.
In the second half, Edison linebacker Miguel Moreida scored on a 47-yard interception return seven minutes into the half, and Ginnis (12 tackles) came up with his second interception early in the fourth quarter that led to the final score, another two-yard TD run by Maza.
The victory allowed Edison, ranked sixth in the CIF-SS West Valley Division, to secure a piece of the Sunset title, its ninth in 11 years. In the win, however, the Chargers lost Garrett White to a left knee injury in the second quarter. Dave White, his father, said the senior was to have an MRI performed Tuesday, and won’t play Friday against Newport Harbor.
Garrett White becomes the fifth key Edison senior starter, and third team captain, lost to injury this year.
“The kids have really, really stepped up in place of our injured players,” Dave White said. “We know what’s in front us of Friday, and we’ll be ready for Newport Harbor.”
Newport Harbor has faint playoff hopes. The Sailors improved to 2-2 in league and stayed in contention for a postseason berth by scoring its highest point total this season in defeating Marina, 60-35. Cole Kinder rushed for 284 yards and three touchdowns and also scored on a 95-yard kickoff return, and quarterback Michael Bonds threw for 196 yards and three touchdowns.
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Huntington Beach (3-6) vs. Fountain Valley (6-3)
(7 p.m., Westminster High)
Teams sporting opposing records square off in a league finale.
Fountain Valley was dropped from a share of first place in the Sunset League after its 33-7 loss to Edison. Turnovers plagued the Barons whose only score came on a 25-yard scoring pass in the second quarter from quarterback Chad Olberding to running back Moe Faleali’i.
Olberding suffered an ankle injury two weeks ago in a win over Marina, and didn’t “take a rep in practice” the week leading up to the Edison game, Fountain Valley Coach Ray Fenton said.
The Barons had their six-game winning streak snapped.
“We’ve got to bounce back from this loss and get ready for the playoffs,” he said after the Edison game. “Our guys will regroup and be ready for Huntington.”
Fountain Valley already has the Sunset’s No. 2 playoff berth secured but a win over Huntington, coupled with an Edison loss Friday to Newport Harbor, would give the Barons a portion of the league title.
Huntington was sent to its third consecutive league defeat Oct. 29 by Los Alamitos. The Oilers (1-3 league) fell into a 35-3 halftime hole and never recovered, eventually dropping a 56-10 road game. Fletcher Wilson kicked a 28-yard field goal, and quarterback Kobee Lagarde and receiver John Davis teamed on a 27-yard scoring pass.
“I hope we can finish the final chapter on a good note,” Huntington Coach Eric Lo said of his team’s regular-season finale. “Fountain Valley’s really good and a well-coached team. Their quarterback [Chad Olberding] is a good football player who runs well, and they have a defensive tackle [Keiti Iakopo] who is very disruptive. Plus, they have a bunch of other really good players.”
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Los Alamitos (4-5) vs. Marina (1-8)
(7 p.m., Huntington Beach High)
Marina closes out its season by taking on a Los Alamitos squad that has won its last two Sunset League games.
The Vikings fell to 0-4 in league by losing, 60-35, last week to Newport Harbor. Running back Cooper Malerstein rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns, which included a 73-yard scoring run, quarterback Anthony De La Torre ran for a touchdown and passed for 123 yards with a 40-yard touchdown pass to receiver Noah Holmes, and running back Kevin Vasquez scored on a one-yard run to complete the scoring.
After its 0-2 start in league, defending league champion Los Alamitos has rebounded to score two lopsided victories. Two week ago, the Griffins routed Newport Harbor (49-0). Last week, they rolled to a 56-10 win over Huntington Beach. Quarterback Jack Telenko passed for 254 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for two scores.
The Griffins will wrap up no worse than third place in league with a win Friday.
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Loara (0-9) vs. Ocean View (4-5)
(7 p.m., Ocean View High)
Ocean View, still in contention for a CIF Southern Division playoff berth, needs a win over the winless Saxons to extend its season.
The Seahawks slipped to 1-3 in Golden West League play last week after a 38-14 loss at seventh-ranked Segerstrom (6-2-1 overall, 4-0 league). Quarterback Blake Meyer rushed for 151 yards on 13 carries and threw for 149 yards with touchdown passes to Chase Foreman and Adam Meyer.
Running back Adel Holmes and cornerback Anthony Herrera both missed the Segerstrom game due to ankle injuries. Ocean View Coach Luis Nunez said Holmes “is expected” to be back for Loara, but that Herrera is “still questionable.”
An Ocean View win Friday, along with a win by Orange over Santa Ana, would create a three-way tie for third place. A win also would put the Seahawks at 5-5 overall and among the list of playoff at-large berth hopefuls.
“We need to focus on blocking and catching this week as we really struggled doing that against Segerstrom,” Nunez said. “Our kids didn’t execute well all night and for the first time all year, I felt our kids didn’t battle every single play. We need to get that relentlessness attitude back and execution needs to be a lot better.
Loara is playing its final game of the season. The Saxons are 0-4 in league and have given up 35 or more points in six of their nine losses. Their most recent defeat was a 28-7 loss last week to Orange which was the first league win (1-3) for the Panthers who snapped a three-game losing streak.
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CIF Weekly Rankings
(released Monday)
West Valley Division: Edison, No. 6.
East Valley Division: Brethren Christian, No. 5.
