SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : Edison Shuts Down Brown, Ousts Crespi

Excuse the Edison High fans gathered at Orange Coast College on Friday night for taking a quick check of their programs in the first quarter to make sure that Crespi star Russell White had indeed graduated.

When Leonice Brown sprinted up the middle for a 65-yard touchdown, leaving his pursuers a few steps farther behind with each stride--it looked as if the Chargers might be in for a long night. The kind of night Crespi opponents endured for the past three years when facing White, the Southern Section career record-holder with 5,998 rushing yards.

But the Edison defense ended Brown’s White impersonation in a hurry, holding the Crespi back to just three more yards in his next eight carries. And the Edison offense, which had been giving a clinic in self-destruction during the early going, righted itself and the Chargers came away with a 20-10 victory in the first round of the Southern Section Division I playoffs.

Actually, the star back on this night was Edison’s Shane Sherman, a sure-footed 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior who picked his way through the Crespi defense for 153 yards and both Charger touchdowns.

“There were some big holes out there tonight,” Sherman said. “I just tried to read the blocks and make the right moves.”

The Chargers started out making all the wrong moves. Two illegal-procedure penalties ended their first drive. And early in the second quarter, they drove to the Crespi one-yard line, where they were whistled for back-to-back illegal-procedure calls and had to settle for a 28-yard field goal.

Edison finally put together an error-free, 80-yard drive, with quarterback Donnie Smith completing passes of 12, 33 and then a 22-yard shovel pass to Sherman. Sherman popped through for a nine-yard touchdown run with 1:18 left in the half and Edison led, 10-7, at the intermission.