Edison Happy With Unimpressive Win
It wasn’t the type of performance that could carry Edison to a Southern Section title, but after so many years of not even being in the playoffs, Charger Coach Dave White was ecstatic that his team simply escaped Friday with a 24-19 victory over Servite in a Division I first-round game at Huntington Beach High.
Charger running back Darryl Poston rushed for 233 yards and two touchdowns in 25 carries and defensive back Charles Linman intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble as Edison won its first playoff game in seven years.
“It’s a great feeling,” Poston said. “We’re just going to have to keep on going.”
Still, there were as many negatives as positives for the Chargers (9-2), who will need to find some answers before meeting second-seeded Loyola (10-1) Friday in a second-round game at a site to be determined today by a coin flip.
Edison gave up 370 yards rushing as Servite (7-4) had three players gain at least 100 yards on the ground. Justin Domineck led the way for the Friars with 127 yards, while quarterback Adam Ernst added 108 and Lamar Mason had 105.
“There are a lot of great teams left,” said White, whose team is making its first playoff appearance since 1995. “We’ve got to play better to beat Loyola.”
Even though it torched the Chargers for 467 total yards, Servite’s offense couldn’t move the ball on the crucial plays. The Friars committed two third-quarter fumbles that led to 10 Edison points and were stopped on two fourth-and-short plays in the fourth quarter.
Servite’s collapse was eerily similar to the one it suffered in a 35-33 defeat to Edison in Week 5.
“There’s nothing I can say,” Friar Coach Larry Toner said.
Servite trailed, 7-6, at halftime and was in great position to take the lead when Domineck returned the second-half kickoff to the 50-yard line. The Friars moved the ball to the Edison 10, where running back Joe Cicero took a handoff and ran nine yards before fumbling at the one.
The Chargers recovered and marched 93 yards before settling for Travis Wilson’s 21-yard field goal and a 10-6 lead.
Servite fumbled again on its next possession, this time deep in its own territory, and Edison scored soon thereafter on quarterback Richard Schwartz’s one-yard sneak to make it 17-6.
Ernst then was stuffed on a fourth-and-one situation early in the fourth quarter, and Poston ran 72 yards for a touchdown on the next play for a 24-6 advantage.
Servite tacked on two late touchdowns to make things interesting, but its onside kick with 1 minute 20 seconds remaining was recovered by the Chargers.
DIVISION I
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