Fontana Eliminates Edison, 30-7 : Playoffs: Next up for Steelers after opening victory in Division I is Bishop Amat.

Life doesn’t seem fair sometimes.

Fontana High played brilliantly Friday night in defeating Huntington Beach Edison, 30-7, in the opening round of the CIF Southern Section Division I football playoffs before about 2,500 at Fontana.

So what’s the Steelers’ reward? Only a second-round meeting with La Puente Bishop Amat, The Times’ No. 1 ranked team.

“Hey, we’ve got to play (Bishop Amat) sometime, we might as well play them now,” Fontana Coach Dick Bruich said after the No. 17 Steelers improved their record to 8-3, while ending 12th-ranked Edison’s season at 8-3. “If we can’t beat them now we won’t beat them later.”

Fontana running back Art Gipson, who rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-breaking 84-yard run in the fourth quarter, is ready for the Lancers.

“I’m excited about playing the No. 1 team in the nation,” said Gipson, referring to Bishop Amat’s ranking in at least one national publication. “We know if we play well, we will have a chance.”

The Steelers’ defense came to play against a pass-happy Edison team, which put the ball in the air 34 times. Charger quarterback Patrick Markovsky, who was harassed in the backfield and in the secondary, completed only 15 passes for 159 yards. He had two passes intercepted. He was also sacked four times for minus 33 yards.

“We didn’t do anything right on offense,” said Edison Coach Dave White. “Their defense dominated the football game.”

Despite dominating for much of the first three quarters, Fontana led by only seven points, 14-7, heading into the final 12 minutes.

But Lucien Robinson gave the Steelers a 21-7 cushion early in the fourth quarter when he found room over the right side and ran 53 yards for a score.

Fontana added a safety when Oskar Reyes blocked an Edison punt out of the end zone with 9:38 left.

The Steelers closed out the scoring with 7:38 remaining on Gipson’s long touchdown run.