Edison Gets the Jump on Santa Ana for 21-10 Win

Edison High School’s Brandon Jessie usually uses his 6-foot 5-inch frame to score on the basketball court, but Friday night he used his height to catch two touchdown passes to help lead the Chargers to a 21-10 Sunset League victory over Santa Ana at Santa Ana Stadium.

Edison improved its league record to 3-0 (6-0 overall). The Chargers stumbled to a 7-3 halftime lead with Travis Balding, who gained 115 yards in 14 carries, scoring on a two-yard run.

But after a Santa Ana homecoming celebration that included a four-minute fireworks show, Edison exploded out of the locker room and Jessie scored on the first play from scrimmage.

Quarterback Josh Gingrich, who completed nine of 19 passes for 251 yards, found Jessie behind the Santa Ana secondary for an 84--yard touchdown pass.

“They were playing a lot of bump and run against us tonight,” Edison Coach Dave White said, “and teams have been double-teaming (wide receiver Mike) Cunningham. But now they have to watch out for Brandon.”

Jessie’s second score came in the fourth quarter on a 22-yard pass that Gingrich put up for grabs in the left corner of the end zone. Jessie simply jumped and reached over 5-foot-11 Michael Boyd to catch the pass.

Santa Ana (0-6, 0-3) scored its only touchdown on a one-yard run by Kevin Pola, which cut Edison’s lead to 14-10.