ORANGE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: PREP EXTRA : Esperanza Tops Edison to Finish Unbeaten in League

Top-ranked Esperanza completed its unbeaten run in the Sunset League Thursday night, but a string of competitive league outings finally took its toll.

The Aztecs weren’t as sharp as usual, but they mustered enough to defeat Edison, 17-10, in a regular-season finale before 3,500 at Valencia High.

Quarterback Dave Parrish’s 15-yard scoring pass to tight end Pat Swanson with 8 minutes 54 seconds remaining was the difference as Esperanza (8-2, 5-0) won the league title with its sixth consecutive victory.

Esperanza Coach Gary Meek, who also celebrated his 47th birthday Thursday, said the Aztecs’ succession of key league games--Los Alamitos and Fountain Valley among them--each week played a role in his team’s sluggish performance against Edison.

“We’ve played some big games over the last few weeks and it’s hard to be up for every one of them,” Meek said. “This league is so tough, you can get beat any time. But Edison is a great team. I’m not taking anything away from them. They did a great job and they came to play.”

Edison made the Aztecs earn the title. The Chargers (6-4, 2-3) put together a 15-play, 65-yard drive that resulted in a five-yard touchdown run by running back Alex Forero to tie the score, 10-10, with 37 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Aztecs responded on their next series with a 69-yard drive in nine plays as Parrish hit Swanson for the game-winner.

Edison got two possessions before the end, but its final one was halted when Esperanza junior Scott Dobashi intercepted sophomore quarterback Jeff Grady at the Chargers’ 29-yard line with 3:25 remaining. The Aztecs sealed the victory by running out the clock.

“They made the plays and that was the difference,” said Edison Coach Dave White, who is hoping his team, which finished fourth in league, can secure a wild-card berth when the Division I playoff pairings are announced Sunday. “Our four losses have been to great teams. We have nothing to be ashamed of.”

Edison’s league losses have been to Esperanza, Los Alamitos and Fountain Valley.