El Modena Takes Charge Early, Rolls to 14-0 Win Over Edison
Not even a decent second-half performance by his team’s defense could console Edison High School Coach Bill Workman Friday night after his Chargers lost to El Modena, 14-0, in their season opener in LeBard Stadium.
A crowd estimated at 6,500 watched Edison get trampled by the Vanguards in the first half, as El Modena rolled up 168 yards in offense and scored both touchdowns. But during a scoreless second half, the Chargers’ defense dug in and limited the Vanguards to just 57 yards.
That hardly pleased Workman, though. The game, to him, had little redeeming value.
All Workman could think about was the eight sacks that El Modena inflicted upon his quarterback, Mike Angelovic. And the miniscule 27 yards and five first downs (two by penalties) that his offense could muster against the Vanguards. And the two fumbles his team lost.
“We were putrid,” Workman said afterward. “They chewed us up. We looked and played as if we were in a fog. I don’t know how to explain it, but this will go down as one of the bleakest nights in Edison history.”
And it could have been worse.
The first half was reminiscent of last year’s Southern Conference championship game, in which El Modena completely dominated Esperanza in its 26-0 victory. Friday night, the Vanguards, ranked third in the Orange County Sportswriters Assn. preseason poll, made the top-ranked Chargers their victims.
They got out to a 14-0 lead after two periods, but if they hadn’t turned the ball over twice in Charger territory, they may have doubled their first-half output.
Edison’s Marc Hartman intercepted a Chris Gallego pass after it had been tipped by El Modena receiver Jeff Blake early in the second quarter, and Bernie Colacchio recovered a Gallego fumble on the Edison 17-yard line with 4:44 left after the Vanguards had driven 61 yards.
But outside of those mistakes, El Modena was nearly unstoppable, as the Vanguards scored on their other two possessions in the first half.
On their first drive of the game, they went 76 yards on 13 plays, Ross Bauer going over from one yard out, to take a 6-0 lead. Gallego, who finished the night with 51 yards passing on 7 of 13 attempts, completed four straight passes for 37 yards during the 6 1/2-minute drive, but Eric Watson’s extra point attempt was wide right.
El Modena took advantage of an Edison turnover for its second touchdown. Angelovic fumbled after being sacked by Robert Nasser, and Jeff Blake recovered at the Edison eight-yard line. Two plays later, Bauer fumbled on the one, but Allen Ennis recovered the ball in the end zone for the score.
