Edison’s Late Gamble Pays Off--for No. 3 Huntington Beach
Edison did everything possible to beat third-ranked Huntington Beach Friday night. Then the Chargers attempted the impossible and lost.
A bizarre fake punt attempt by Edison led to a 21-yard field goal by Jason Bartusick with a minute left. That gave the Oilers a 10-7 victory in their Sunset League opener at Orange Coast College and left the Chargers wondering what happened.
“Our defense played a great, great game,” Edison Coach Dave White said. “We did everything and then gave it away at the end.”
The Chargers, faced with a fourth and 23 from their seven, set up to punt. Instead, Bryan LaChapelle took the short snap and rolled to the left, looking to pass. Finding no one, he turned up field for a four-yard gain.
“We have an automatic play that if our outside guy isn’t covered we throw the ball to him,” White said.
An earlier fake punt played out as designed and led to the Chargers touchdown. But that was at midfield, not inside the 10.
“By the time we recognized what was happening, it was too late,” White said.
The Oilers (4-0, 1-0) did three plunges into the line and kicked the field goal. Joshua Holland’s interception with five seconds left preserved the victory.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Huntington Beach linebacker Tony Gonzalez said. “I don’t know what they were thinking, but we were glad to take it.”
Said Huntington Beach Coach George Pascoe: “They were punting from the end zone, so we were going to get good field position any way. I’d like to think we could have done something with it.”
He can think what he wants, but the Oilers (4-0, 1-0) hadn’t exactly walked up and and down the field. They had 206 yards and had to battle for every inch.
Edison’s defensive front was too quick and was constantly in the face of quarterback Levi Schuck, who had not been sacked this season. The Chargers (2-2, 0-1) got to him twice. Schuck also fumbled once and had a pass intercepted.
The Oilers only touchdown came on an 11-yard pass to the 6-foot-6 Gonzalez, who out-jumped Tony Borrelli, a 6-0 defensive back. Gonzalez accounted for much of the Oilers’ offense with four catches for 73 yards.
The Oilers squandered other chances. Schuck fumbled on the Edison 20 in the second quarter. Edison’s Andy Robertson then intercepted a pass to kill a drive in the fourth quarter. Gabriel Mortarotti, the Oilers’ long-distance kicker, also missed a 50-yard field goal attempt.
“I couldn’t have asked any more from our defense,” White said.
The offense, on the other hand, could have given more. The Chargers moved the ball at times, but twice were stopped on fourth-down plays inside the Oiler 40.
Edison’s only score was set up by a 26-yard pass from punter Beau Barnhart to Alex Alonso on a fake punt. Chris Young later scored on a one-yard run.
