Edison football dispatches Huntington Beach in CIF opener

Players from the winning and losing teams don’t often fraternize much after the final whistle in the CIF Southern Section football playoffs, but that was the case Friday night at Cap Sheue Stadium.

Well after the clock hit zeroes, members of the Edison and Huntington Beach high school football teams posed together for photos. Their bond as childhood friends and teammates remained strong, even if the play on the field got a bit testy at times.

“We grew up playing together in Pop Warner in Huntington Beach,” Edison junior quarterback Sam Thomson said. “Those are a lot of my guys. I wasn’t really talking too much trash, but it got a little bit chippy. I mean, I respect all of those guys over there and I’m good friends with a lot of them. Football just divides people. I don’t think it’s anything against them.”

Nothing personal for the Chargers, but they move on.

Edison’s Sam Thomson throws a pass in the first quarter on Friday night.

(Jeremy Westerbeck)

Thomson threw three touchdown passes as Edison earned a 31-19 win in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs.

Edison (6-5), which won Southern Section Division 3 and CIF State Division 1-A championships last season, plays at Inglewood in the quarterfinals on Friday night.

“It’s a new team and a new year, so everything’s different,” Chargers coach Jeff Grady said. “This team, we haven’t done anything. We told the guys, we’ve got to move on and be our own team, make our own path.”

Huntington Beach receiver Troy Foster runs after a catch in the third quarter on Friday night.

(Jeremy Westerbeck)

That path included a lot of passes from Thomson to senior receiver Matthew Auau in the first half Friday night, including a 43-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring. Edison, the designated home team, built a 24-14 halftime lead on a 42-yard field goal by Crue Bradshaw on the final play of the first half.

“The kid is just an absolute stud, there’s not much else to say,” Thomson said of Auau, who finished with eight catches for 149 yards and the score. “He was going against quality cornerbacks, D-1 guys today, and I think he really proved himself. He’s a little under the radar … but he can rise to the occasion. He’s just a phenomenal receiver, one of the better ones I’ve played with, if not the best.”

Auau also made a key play on defense as Huntington Beach (8-3) tried to rally. The Oilers pulled within 24-19 in the third quarter on a field goal by Jason Dunham and a safety.

Edison celebrates after recovering a fumble in the third quarter against Huntington Beach.

(Jeremy Westerbeck)

But Auau recovered a fumble on Huntington Beach’s next drive. That eventually led to a 5-yard touchdown run by Maddox Thomas, putting Edison back up two scores.

Edison made things tough on Huntington Beach junior quarterback Brady Edmunds and the Oilers’ offense at times, with Jordan Pelaez and Conrad Barrera getting quarterback sacks.

“Our defense can always lean on our guys to make plays,” Barrera said. “We weren’t too worried. We knew we could close it out.”

Huntington Beach’s Brady Edmunds throws a pass in the second quarter on Friday night.

(Jeremy Westerbeck)

Huntington Beach receiver Steel Kurtz threw a touchdown pass to Troy Foster on the Oilers’ first drive on a double pass. Edmunds also threw a touchdown pass to Jameel Champion.

Senior Logan Gray led the Huntington Beach defense with a pair of tackles for a loss before exiting with a knee injury in the fourth quarter.

Foster finished his sterling prep career with a 14-catch night for 117 yards. In three years with the Oilers, he had 183 catches for 3,255 yards and 38 touchdowns.

Edison’s Matthew Auau takes off for the first score of the night in the first quarter.

(Jeremy Westerbeck)

“One of the best in the state, one of the best in the country,” first-year Huntington Beach coach Matthew Hatchette said. “He’s going to have a hell of a college career, and I can’t wait to watch him in college.”

Hatchette, who played receiver in the NFL for six seasons, said he enjoyed the ride coaching the Oilers.

“I learned a lot about myself, a lot about the kids,” he said. “I learned a lot about coaching. This whole thing is about getting the kids ready for life … The guys played their butts off. This is the Division 3 champs from last year, a real good team.

“Nothing to hold our heads down for. They have a real good team. We came in and put our best foot forward, it just didn’t go our way tonight.”

Edison’s Jordan Pelaez sacks Huntington Beach’s Brady Edmunds in the first quarter Friday night.

(Jeremy Westerbeck)

CIF Southern Section Division 3 Playoffs

First round

Edison 31, Huntington Beach 19

SCORE BY QUARTERS

HB 7 – 7 – 5 – 0 — 19

Edison 14 – 10 – 0 – 7 — 31

FIRST QUARTER

E – Auau 42 pass from Thomson (Bradshaw kick), 7:56.

HB – Foster 21 pass from Kurtz (Dunham kick), 3:30.

E – Moran 14 pass from Thomson (Bradshaw kick), 0:28.

SECOND QUARTER

E – Thomas 7 pass from Thomson (Bradshaw kick), 5:05.

HB – Champion 15 pass from Edmunds (Dunham kick), 0:23.

E – Bradshaw 42 FG, 0:00.

THIRD QUARTER

HB – Dunham 28 FG, 4:44.

HB – Safety (Punter stepped out of back of end zone), 2:23.

FOURTH QUARTER

E – Thomas 5 run (Bradshaw kick), 8:44.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

HB – Edmunds, 10-29.

E – Thomas, 13-41, 1 TD; Godinez, 13-29.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

HB – Edmunds, 23-39-0, 181, 1 TD.

E – Thomson, 14-18-0, 220, 3 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

HB – Foster, 14-117, 1 TD; Kurtz, 5-37; Champion, 2-29, 1 TD.

E – Auau, 8-149, 1 TD.