PREP FOOTBALL : Edison Finally Gets It Going in Second Half to Beat Servite, 14-7

It had been two weeks since Edison High School’s last football game, but the Chargers played the first half of Thursday night’s game against Servite looking as if they hadn’t touched a ball in two months.

Quarterback Mike Henderson’s only first-half completion in nine attempts was a four-yard shovel pass to tailback Kaleaph Carter. The rest of his passes nose-dived into the ground in front of his receivers or sailed high over their heads.

The running game wasn’t any better. Carter, considered one of Orange County’s top rushers, had seven yards in nine attempts. On a critical fourth-down play from the Servite 23 in the first quarter, Carter and Henderson collided on the handoff and both fell for a two-yard loss.

Edison’s total offensive output in the first half: 22 yards.

And this was the county’s top-ranked team?

But just when you began to wonder why the Chargers were so highly rated, Edison struck for two second-half touchdowns on its way to a 14-7 victory in front of 7,000 fans in Orange Coast College’s LeBard Stadium.

Fortunately for the Chargers, the defense came prepared. Edison, led by linebackers Bernie Colacchio and Marc Hartman and the defensive secondary of Henderson, Gunnar Wolfe, Mike Prince and Mike Markousky, limited Servite to one touchdown in the first quarter and intercepted Friar quarterback Jason Messersmith six times.

Henderson, who plays safety, and cornerback Wolfe each had two interceptions, Wolfe’s second coming in the Servite end zone with 1:29 remaining to snuff the Friars’ last rally.

Henderson recovered from his poor first half to throw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Dan Hughes in the third quarter and run one yard for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth. Eric Thayer kicked two extra points.

Carter also contributed heavily in the second half, slashing his way through a tough Servite defense for 81 yards.

“We didn’t block well in the first half, and Carter was getting frustrated,” Edison Coach Dave White said. “At halftime, he said, ‘Coach, gimme the ball,’ and he responded in the second half. He ran well and made some great cutbacks.”

Messersmith, the Friars’ junior quarterback, finished with 205 yards passing on 10 of 26 attempts. He looked brilliant at times, like when he threw a 61-yard touchdown pass to Nick-John Haiduc in the first quarter and when he scrambled and completed a 37-yard pass to tight end Rich Boultinghouse in the fourth.

Other times, he looked bad, like when he threw a screen pass that landed in the arms of Edison lineman Rob Simonson and when he threw interceptions right into the hands of Hartman and Henderson in the second quarter.

After Pat Blottiaux missed a 41-yard field goal with 8:50 left in the third, Edison (3-0) drove 80 yards in seven plays, with Henderson throwing long down the right side to Hughes for the 51-yard touchdown score at the 5:51 mark. Carter rushed for 28 yards during the drive.

Early in the fourth quarter, Friar running back Derek Brown fumbled and Henderson recovered at the 50-yard line. Carter ran for 12 yards and Henderson drilled a 25-yard pass to Zack Szakacs, giving Edison a first down on the Servite 14.

Carter carried three times for 13 yards and, on second and goal from the one, Henderson faked a handoff to Carter and ran around right end for the winning touchdown.