Sunset League : Westminster Upsets No. 5 Edison, 24-14

Sure, Westminster High School had beaten Valencia, Pacifica and El Toro in its first three games. And OK, so the Lions had allowed only 44 points in five nonleague games. But could the Lions be considered legitimate contenders for the Sunset League championship? Let’s be serious.

This is a team that will need to get directions to get to the CIF Southern Section playoffs. It’s been a long time since the Lions have been down that road--what with Edisons, Fountain Valleys and Marinas always standing in their way--and they won’t be able to get there on memory alone. Westminster’s last playoff appearence came in 1976.

And after closing their nonleague schedule with consecutive losses to Mater Dei and Long Beach Wilson, there seemed to be some cause to wonder whether the early season success was something of a fluke. Are the Lions for real.

“I think we are,” Westminster co-Coach Jack Bowman said with a smile as bright as the scoreboard lights some 60 yards behind him.

Bowman had plenty of reasons to smile, and plenty of cause to make such a claim. Westminster laid a few doubts to rest with a 24-14 upset over Edison in the Sunset League opener Friday night in front of an estimated 5,000 spectators in Westminster Stadium.

This was supposed to be the game in which Westminster became reacquainted with the cold realities of its league schedule. Edison was Orange County’s fifth-ranked team and had re-established itself as the team to beat for the title after opening the season with a stunning, 14-0 loss to El Modena.

Edison also had history in its favor. The Chargers’ last loss to Westminster was in 1982, 14-13. In their last 11 meetings with Edison, that was the Lions’ only victory.

But, for one night, the Lions flunked history and made a statement about their future. For real? No doubt.

Westminster capitalized on fumbles by Edison sophomore Kaleaph Carter to score 14 points in the third quarter and turn a 14-7 deficit into a 21-14 lead. The Lions clinched it by driving 75 yards in 14 plays, consuming more than seven minutes, to set up Todd Weaver’s 23-yard field goal with 2:40 to play.

Once they got the lead, the Lions turned to their defense to hold it. It responded by holding an Edison team that has averaged 31.7 points per game in its last four games to two, first-half touchdowns. The Lions have not allowed more than 14 points in a game thus far.

Turnovers were the difference. Carter’s first fumble came midway through the third quarter. Defensive back Dean Eddy recovered for the Lions at the Edison 25, setting up Mike Austin’s 1-yard touchdown dive on a quarterback sneak that tied it at 14-14.

On Edison’s next play, Carter fumbled again. This time, Austin recovered at the Charger 30 to set up a 24-yard touchdown pass from Steve Gulley to Jon Ostler. The play gave Westminster a 21-14 lead with 1:01 left in the third quarter.

Edison tried to rally after Weaver’s field goal, but was stopped when quarterback Mike Angelovic was stripped of the ball by defensive tackle Pete Gill, who also recovered the loose ball.

Gulley, who sat out last week’s loss to Long Beach Wilson with a leg injury, returned to the lineup to complete 8 of 13 passes for 176 yards and 2 touchdowns.