Chargers Look, Feel Better in 30-7 Win

Looks aren’t everything, but at least the Edison High Chargers know now that their beauty is more than skin deep.

The Chargers, who looked like anything but the county’s No. 2-ranked team in a ragged three-point victory over El Toro last week, played much better in dominating Capistrano Valley, 30-7, Friday at Huntington Beach High.

Not surprisingly, they felt much better about themselves, too.

“Last week we took two steps back; hopefully tonight we took two steps forward,” said Edison Coach Dave White, whose players were throwing around words like “embarrassing” after the season opener against El Toro. “I hope we’ve learned our lesson.”

They, and the Cougars (1-1), learned Friday what they probably already knew: a healthy Darryl Poston is a dangerous individual.

Poston, who didn’t start against El Toro because of a sore back and was limited to 56 yards in 13 carries, carried 16 times for 139 yards and scored two touchdowns Friday.

Quarterback Richard Schwartz complemented him by completing nine of 13 passes for 137 yards, with two touchdowns. And the Edison defense didn’t allow Capistrano Valley a first down until the third quarter, sacked quarterback David Frazeur seven times and kept the Cougars off the scoreboard until the final 30 seconds.

“And it kind of helped us that they had their JV defense in there” at the end, said Jeff Veeder, Capistrano Valley’s second-year coach. “They’re No. 2 in the county, and they came to play tonight.”

It didn’t look that way early in the game, however. It looked like opening night all over again.

In the first quarter, a holding penalty wiped out a Schwartz-to-Marcus McCutcheon touchdown pass. In the second quarter, with Edison leading only 3-0, Seth Prelesnik fumbled at the Capistrano Valley one-yard line, the ball rolling out of the end zone to give the Cougars a touchback.

Once the Chargers got untracked, though, there was no stopping them. They put up 27 points in less than 10 minutes--Poston’s 14-yard touchdown run 1:15 before halftime, Poston’s five-yard run (set up by a Prelesnik interception) early in the third quarter, and Schwartz’s scoring passes of 27 and six yards to Christian Prelle.

Travis Becktel rushed 18 times for 79 yards for Capistrano Valley.