Los Alamitos Beats Edison

In a game full of drama and countless clutch plays, Los Alamitos pulled out a 31-24, double-overtime victory over Huntington Beach Edison when Brian Shrock’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete at the five-yard line Thursday night at Gahr High in Cerritos.

“It was unbelievable,” Los Alamitos Coach John Barnes said of a Sunset League game in which both teams seemingly refused to accept a loss.

Los Alamitos (6-1, 2-0), ranked No. 6 in the Southland by The Times, tied the score at 17-17 with four seconds left in regulation on a 32-yard field goal by Dustin Abrams. That brought to a close a hectic fourth quarter in which Shrock was at one point the goat before becoming a hero for No. 3 Edison (5-2, 1-1).

Shrock, who completed 24 of 36 passes for 286 yards, had a pass intercepted at the 40-yard line by Orlando Scandrick, who returned the ball to the Charger five-yard line. Jeremy Childs then caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Jim Barnes with 6:07 left to put the Griffins ahead, 14-10.

Shrock then directed a 12-play, 70-yard drive that he kept alive with a 14-yard pass to Jimmy Flanagan on fourth down. Shrock scored the go-ahead touchdown with a two-yard run with 1:48 left.

In the first overtime, which allows each team the ball at the 25-yard line with four downs to score, Edison scored on a 23-yard pass from Shrock to Flanagan. Los Alamitos tied the score, 24-24, when Childs, who finished with 16 catches for 169 yards, caught a two-yard pass.

Cortes Rice put Los Alamitos ahead for good with a 13-yard touchdown run in the second overtime. Rice finished with 183 yards rushing in 21 carries, including a 79-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game.

Edison received a stellar defensive performance in the fourth quarter from linebacker Josh Gage, who on one series recorded three tackles for losses against Rice. Los Alamitos responded with fourth-quarter sacks by linebacker John Hale and lineman Mike Aguayo.

The game-tying field goal by Abrams was deja vu for his family. His older brother Matt defeated Edison with a game-winning field goal in 1997.

“That’s why we play football,” said an exhausted Edison defensive lineman Logan Galitski.