Edison Works to Subdue Huntington Beach, 28-10
There are no free rides in the Sunset League, and if fourth-ranked Edison was expecting a breather in its league opener against Huntington Beach Friday, the Chargers soon experienced an alteration in their expectations.
“The Sunset League is the toughest there is,” Edison Coach Dave White said after the Chargers’ closer-than-it-looked 28-10 victory before about 3,000 at Huntington Beach High. “There are no bad teams. Every week is a war.”
So it is that even Huntington Beach, which has only one league win since 1997, can be competitive against one of the four Sunset teams ranked in the county top 10.
The Oilers (2-4, 0-1), their big, physical line punishing Edison’s undersized defense, rushed for 237 yards, with Rob Rossy gaining 142 in 19 carries and Russell Oschman getting 105 in 13 attempts.
Not until they stopped Rossy on fourth and inches at the Edison 23 with about eight minutes to play could the Chargers (5-1, 1-0) feel safe. Three plays later, Marcus McCutcheon caught a short screen pass and turned it into a 73-yard touchdown, making it 28-10.
“It’s always good to get a win in this league,” said White, whose team plays second-ranked Los Alamitos on Thursday. “But we’re gonna have to get a lot better to have a chance next week, and we don’t have much time to do it.”
McCutcheon’s touchdown capped a big night for quarterback Richard Schwartz, who completed 12 of 15 passes for 264 yards and two scores. Darryl Poston ran for 131 yards in 24 carries, with first-half touchdowns of 11 and nine yards that helped build a 21-7 lead.
“They’ve got a lot of weapons, and you have to pick one or the other,” Oiler Coach Tony Ciarelli said. “We tried to stop Poston and they hit some passes. We had a few breakdowns on defense and they made a couple big plays. That’s how it is in the Sunset League.”
Oschman had a 52-yard touchdown run that tied the score, 7-7, in the first quarter. But the county’s second-leading rusher didn’t play in the second half because of a strained ligament in his foot.
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SUNSET
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League Overall School W L T W L T Los Alamitos 1 0 0 6 0 0 Edison 1 0 0 5 1 0 Esperanza 1 0 0 5 1 0 Marina 0 1 0 5 1 0 Fountain Valley 0 1 0 3 3 0 Huntington Beach 0 1 0 2 4 0
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WEEK 6
Thursday’s result
* Esperanza 41, Fountain Valley 15
* Los Alamitos 48, Marina 20
Friday’s results
* Edison 28, Huntington Beach 10
WEEK 7
Thursday, Oct. 19
Edison vs. Los Alamitos at Veterans Stadium
Esperanza vs. Marina at Westminster HS
Friday, Oct. 20
Fountain Valley at Huntington Beach