Edison’s Bridges Burns Paramount, 28-21

Although Edison moved the ball at will through the air and Paramount controlled it on the ground, it was a special teams play that proved to be the difference Thursday.

A bad snap sailed high off of Paramount punter George Villasenor’s hands and Edison junior Michael Bridges recovered the ball in the end zone to give the Chargers the decisive score in a 28-21 nonleague victory at Huntington Beach High.

Bridges’ touchdown came with with 8 minutes 42 seconds remaining and broke a 21-21 tie.

“We got a break,” Edison Coach Dave White said. “We talked about how the game was dead even and we’d have to get something out of our special teams.”

Edison’s passing attack was special in the first half with quarterback Jeff Grady completing 13 of 19 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns. Grady finished 14 of 23 for 196 yards and had scoring passes of three yards to Brandon Jordan, and two more of 23 and 33 yards to Jeff Hall, who caught five passes for 91 yards.

Edison led, 21-14, at halftime, but ran only seven offensive plays in the first 21 minutes of the second half as Paramount fought back into the game with a bruising rushing attack.

Running back Danny McMullen rushed for 189 yards in 21 carries, scoring two touchdowns, including one on a 79-yard run in the first quarter. Quarterback Terry Soolefai rushed for 64 yards in 15 carries and scored the Pirates’ other touchdown.

Paramount’s last chance came with 3:20 remaining, when Edison’s Ryan Walters stopped McMullen for a two-yard gain on a fourth-and-eight play from the Edison 20.