Football: Edison topples division rival Mater Dei, 24-14

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What a game!!

Junior quarterback Matt Viles, who came into the game battling flu-like symptoms, completed 15 of 28 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown as Edison (4-1), ranked No. 11 by The Times, took advantage of 17 Mater Dei penalties to beat their county rivals, 24-14, at Orange Coast College on Friday night.

Viles left the game briefly in the fourth quarter after taking a hit, but returned just in time to see running back Preston Spence score on a 60-yard touchdown run to put the game away. Spence finished with 103 yards rushing and three touchdowns, one of which came on a 30-yard reception.

Viles’ favorite target, senior wide receiver Jeff Crissman, had six catches for 79 yards.

“Matt has been battling the flu and he’s still not really over it,” Edison coach Dave White said. “He did an awesome job, especially when you consider the circumstances.”

The No. 6 Monarchs were stung by 157 yards in penalties and struggled to find any rhythm on offense in the second half.

USC-bound quarterback Matt Barkley completed 17 of 34 passes for 252 yards. He also had two interceptions, giving him 11 on the season -– one more than he had all of last year.

Edison last beat Mater Dei in 2005, but the Chargers eventually had to forfeit that victory for using an ineligible player. Before that, last time they beat the Monarchs was in the 2001 Division I semifinals.

“Anytime you can beat a team like Mater Dei, it says a lot,” White said. “To bounce back like we did tonight after a tough loss shows that we’re resilient.”

Check out my live blog for a complete rundown of the game.

By the way, special thanks to the Mater Dei stat keepers and everyone who participated in my live blog tonight.

-- Austin Knoblauch

-- Image by Austin Knoblauch