Second-quarter surge helps Edison football cruise to win at Huntington Beach
The tide turned drastically for the Edison High football team in about the same amount of time it took to change ends between quarters.
The Chargers used only 3 minutes 47 seconds of elapsed time to score 34 second-quarter points on their way to a 41-15 Sunset League victory over host Huntington Beach on Friday at Cap Sheue Field.
Edison, ranked No. 7 in CIF Southern Section Division 3, scored on five of its 11 second-period offensive plays, including three one-play touchdown drives to improve to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in league play.
Huntington Beach (1-7, 0-3), which matched Edison 7-7 in the first quarter, extended its losing streak to four games.
Nico Brown returned the opening kickoff 68 yards to spark a four-play, 27-yard touchdown drive to put the Chargers ahead early.
But the Oilers answered with a 56-yard kickoff return by Brandon Ferrin to set up an eight-play scoring drive to knot the score with 5:50 left in the first quarter.
Edison junior quarterback Braeden Boyles then sparked the second-quarter blitz by throwing touchdown passes on his first three pass attempts of the period.
Boyles, who completed his final seven pass attempts, and 10 of his last 11, hit Brown for a 63-yard bomb to open the second quarter and put the Chargers ahead for good.
One play after a hurried Huntington Beach punt traveled just 15 yards, Boyles flipped a 30-yard touchdown pass to Cole Koffler with 10:22 left before halftime.
Edison defensive end Trent Fletcher recovered a fumble at the Oilers’ 26-yard line to set up Boyles’ quick strike to Brown for a 39-yard touchdown and the rout was on.
Edison tailback Tanner Nelson scored on a 12-yard run to make it 35-7, then partially blocked a punt on the ensuing possession to set up a 10-yard touchdown run by teammate Mateo Liau that upped the Chargers’ intermission advantage to 41-7.
Boyles completed 11 of 15 pass attempts for 188 yards before watching the second half from the sideline.
Brown finished with five receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns to help the visitors amass 374 yards of offense.
Meanwhile, Edison’s defense was limiting the Oilers to minus-28 yards on 19 rushing attempts, including six sacks. The Chargers also forced three turnovers, including an interception by Dane Despars and a fumble recovery by Jeremy Alcorn.
Kyle Kaatmann (two), Willie Roulson, Robert Frahm, Alcorn, Bryce Gilbert and Mario Roberts were also in on sacks for the Chargers, who allowed the Oilers just 107 yards of offense.
“I thought we played a pretty good first half,” Edison coach Jeff Grady said after his team improved to 10-0 in league games against the Oilers since 2010. “We had a turnover and a couple of other mishaps, but for the most part, we were pretty crisp.”
Oilers defensive tackle Michael McCormick pounced on an Edison fumble near midfield late in the opening quarter. He later jarred loose a fumble by an Edison quarterback in his throwing motion that linebacker Luke Adelman returned 61 yards for a touchdown to finalize the scoring early in the fourth quarter.
Huntington Beach senior defensive end Brandon Bova was in on two sacks to give him eight for the season, while Joshua Toafa and McCormick were also in on sacks for the Oilers.
Christian Moore had seven receptions for 86 yards, while Brady Gardner completed 11 of 16 passes for 82 yards for the Oilers. Gardner threw to a five-yard pass Chase Quinn for the Oilers’ first touchdown.
Huntington Beach plays Los Alamitos at Cerritos College on Oct. 25. The Griffins (3-5, 2-1) share second place in the league with Newport Harbor (7-1, 2-1) and Edison, which hosts Fountain Valley (3-5, 0-3) in the 52nd edition of the Battle for the Bell rivalry game at Orange Coast College on Oct. 25.
The Sailors fall to 7-1 after the Griffins gash Newport Harbor for a school-record 497 rushing yards in a 44-3 Sunset League win on Friday at Davidson Field.
Sunset League
Edison 41, Huntington Beach 15
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Edison 7 – 34 – 0 – 0 — 41
Huntington Beach 7 – 0 – 0 – 8 — 15
FIRST QUARTER
E – Walters 1 run (Tro. Fletcher kick), 10:42.
HB – Quinn 5 pass from Gardner (Hockman kick), 5:50.
SECOND QUARTER
E – Brown 63 pass from Boyles (Tro. Fletcher kick), 11:49.
E – Koffler 30 pass from Boyles (Tro. Fletcher kick), 10:22.
E – Brown 39 pass from Boyles (Tro. Fletcher kick), 8:54.
E – Nelson 12 run (Tro. Fletcher kick), 3:33.
E – Laiu 10 run (kick failed), 2:26.
FOURTH QUARTER
HB – Adelman 61 fumble return (Moore run), 9:48.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
E – Nelson, 5-38, 1 TD.
HB – Bova, 4-8.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
E – Boyles, 11-15-0, 188, 3 TDs.
HB – Gardner, 11-16-0, 82, 1 TD.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
E – Brown, 5-132, 2 TDs.
HB – Moore, 7-86.
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