PREP EXTRA: SATURDAY FOOTBALL PULLOUT : Despite Fumbles and an Interception, Edison Edges Oilers

Edison was nothing if not a gracious host to visiting Huntington Beach in a Sunset League football game Friday at Orange Coast College.

Edison lost four fumbles and had a pass intercepted but still managed a 19-16 victory. But Coach Dave White wasn’t happy.

“Our kids weren’t ready to play,” White said. “Huntington [Beach] did a great job and played very hard. I’m disappointed in our kids. This is the first time all season that we didn’t play hard.”

Edison led at the half, 13-10, and seemed ready to erase the memory of the choppy first half, during which the Chargers had a pass intercepted and lost a fumble.

Edison used nearly six minutes to go 69 yards for a touchdown to start the half. Tailback Alex Forero rushed for 44 yards in eight carries, including the one-yard touchdown run in the drive that put Edison ahead, 19-10.

Forero finished with 97 yards in 20 carries. Brodie Riederich, Edison’s fullback, had 51 yards rushing in the game, 48 of which came in the second half.

Huntington Beach answered the touchdown quickly though. Vince Gray scored on a one-yard run with 3 minutes 27 seconds left in the third quarter. The score was set up by Jason Locklin’s 50-yard run on a counter play that gave Huntington Beach a first down at the Edison 11. Locklin finished with 96 yards in 19 carries.

Edison had three chances to put the game away in the fourth quarter but failed each time.

The Chargers’ first fumble came at the Huntington Beach four on the first play of the fourth quarter. Linebacker Erik Fox recovered the fumble, his second of the game.

Edison reached the Huntington Beach 23 on its next possession but fumbled and the Oilers’ James Parker, a lineman, recovered.

The Edison defense held again only to be pressed back into service when the Chargers fumbled the center exchange.

Huntington Beach took over at its 36 when linebacker Matt Pistilli fell on the ball with 5:29 left.

Edison’s defense held two more times and the game was over.

“We’ve got some young people out there and they make mistakes,” White said. “It wasn’t pretty but we needed the win.”

Huntington Beach (3-5, 0-3) scored first when Bill Campbell, one of three Oilers to play quarterback, went 70 yards around the left end on an option play with 9:29 left in the first quarter.

Edison tied it, 7-7, on an eight-yard pass from quarterback Jeff Grady to Riederich on fourth down with 5:33 left in the opening quarter.

Brent Chancellor had a 35-yard field goal to put Huntington Beach ahead, 10-7, early in the second quarter but Edison took the lead, 13-10, on a 28-yard pass from Grady to tight end Brandon Boerner, who was wide open in the middle of the field with 6:46 left in the half.