Tough Edison Defense Stops El Modena for 17-7 Victory

Except for the final 1 minute 27 seconds, Edison High School’s football team played the kind of defense Coach Dave White expected.

Edison, ranked eighth in Orange County, held unranked El Modena to 101 yards total offense until surrendering a late 64-yard touchdown drive in a 17-7 victory Thursday night at El Modena.

The Chargers (2-0) were headed for their second consecutive shutout until backup quarterback Jose Prado fueled El Modena’s only touchdown drive in the final seconds.

The Vanguards (0-1) recovered a muffed punt at their 36, and Prado threw to wide receiver Darryll Holguin for 47 yards to Edison’s 17. Prado then passed to wide receiver Jay Montano for a 17-yard touchdown with seven seconds remaining.

“We had talked about the shutout and we were disappointed we didn’t get it,” White said. “It was a great lesson for us, though, because we let up. Before that (drive), we played pretty damn good defense.”

Prado entered the game after starting quarterback Adam Garcia separated his right throwing shoulder while making a tackle on defense. El Modena Coach Bill Backstrom said Garcia will be out as many as five weeks.

“It looks like we’re going to have to go with Prado at quarterback now,” Backstrom said. “But don’t underestimate him. He can catch the ball (five catches for 54 yards), kick and tackle. And I think he can throw the ball too.”

Backstrom said Edison’s pass rush kept Garcia off-balance. He was sacked four times for 41 yards. Two key sacks came in the second half, both after El Modena had crossed Edison’s 40-yard line.

“They kept the pressure on us,” Backstrom said. “Edison has a good defensive line and secondary. They’re a bunch of little guys, but they’re (very) quick.”

But defense wasn’t all Edison had Thursday night. The offense got into the act too.

Charger quarterback Josh Ginrich completed nine of 18 passes for 168 yards. Wide receiver Mike Cunningham caught six passes for 135 yards, including a two-yard touchdown pass with 1:32 left in the first quarter.

Running back J.R. Schusterick rushed for 74 yards in 17 carries and scored on a two-yard run with 8:32 remaining in the second quarter. Brent Hanson added a 23-yard field goal with 1:27 left in the game to give Edison a 17-0 lead.

White said the offense was “much improved” from last week, when it sputtered in a 12-0 win over Honolulu Iolani in Hawaii.

“I think our line blocked a lot better this game,” he said.

White said Edison will have to put a complete game together next Friday, when it plays second-ranked Capistrano Valley.

“We played 3 1/2 quarters worth of good defense tonight,” White said. “But against Capo Valley and the teams in our league, we’re going to have to play four quarters.”