Balding’s Score Is Just Enough for Edison

Edison and Fountain Valley were at it again Thursday night, and though neither a Sunset League or Southern Section championship was at stake, the schools proved that old rivalries die hard.

It took a one-yard touchdown run by Travis Balding with 1 minute 20 seconds left to end the latest thriller and help Edison rip a 14-7 victory away from Fountain Valley in front of 6,000 at Orange Coast College.

For three quarters it had been a sluggish offensive game, with Edison holding a slight edge thanks to 29- and 36-yard field goals by Tim Shaw.

But then Fountain Valley got a break, recovering a fumbled punt return at the Edison 32 with 9:40 left. Two plays later, receiver B.J. Crabtree made a diving catch in the end zone of a Ryan Bertoni pass and Fountain Valley seemed ready for a rare victory over Edison.

When Edison’s next possession ended in a punt, the Fountain Valley fans seemed to sense an upset was at hand.

But Fountain Valley, trapped deep in its own territory by Shaw’s 52-yard punt, couldn’t move the ball and had to punt.

Edison took over on its own 44 with 3:37 left. Two passes for short gains and an incomplete pass brought up a second and 10 at the Fountain Valley 33. Fountain Valley’s defense looked for another pass from Khamis, who finished six for 16 for 60 yards.

Edison ran a draw to Balding instead.

“There was a big hole; it was there,” he said later.

Ten yards downfield, Balding cut left, then 15 yards later, cut right. He gained 27 yards in all, to the six.

Three dives into the line later, and Balding was into the end zone. On the touchdown run, he was hit behind the line, but spun off the tacklers and into the end zone.

It was the last yard of the 99 yards Balding gained in 20 carries.

“I just wanted to score so bad,” Balding said. “I’m happy about this one. This is our rival.”

The victory tightened Edison’s stranglehold on the series, which began in 1969. The Chargers have won 17 times, including the 1980 Division I championship game that drew 28,969 to Anaheim Stadium. Fountain Valley has won six games and there has been one tie, 0-0, in 1974.

“There haven’t been too many unexciting games,” said Edison Coach Dave White, who was the school’s Athlete of the Year in 1974. “You can throw out the records. It doesn’t matter that the two teams aren’t having great years.”

Neither team is in the race for the league championship, though Edison (5-4, 3-2 in league) needed a victory to keep its playoff hopes alive. Fountain Valley is 1-6-1, 1-4.

In the end, those records meant nothing. The action on the field was all that counted.