Los Alamitos tops Huntington Beach Edison in one for the memory books

The sunset from Veterans Stadium in Long Beach on Thursday night was magnificent, with striking orange rays reflecting off the skyline in the distance. It was a reminder of how sunsets, like memories, stay with us forever.

On the field was Huntington Beach Edison, coached by Dave White, one of those rare P.E./coach lifers. In March 1986, at age 30, he became head coach at his alma mater. He had a son, Matt, who was 9 weeks old.

Since then, Matt played football for his father, followed by another son, Hunter. And then there’s Garrett, the last of the White sons. A 6-foot-3 junior receiver who plays three sports for the Chargers and has a 4.1 grade-point average, Garrett used to be the ball boy when his brothers were running around. He had long blond hair and paid close attention to every detail, because one day, he wanted to be just like them.

“They’re different,” Dave White said. “My oldest was real quiet. My other was fiery and we used to yell at each other. Garrett is halfway between them.”

So there were the Whites in the Sunset League championship game, and on the other side of the field was Los Alamitos Coach John Barnes, in his 35th season. He also coached his sons, Brian and Jimmy, now assistant coaches, and knows all about what the Whites are experiencing.

“He asked how the boys are doing and I asked him how his are doing,” Barnes said.

The Whites and Barneses have been playing in championship games for years, and this one produced a memory for Los Alamitos (9-1, 5-0), which won the Sunset League title with a 35-14 victory.

The combination of Denzal Brantley and Matt Locher was too much for Edison (7-3, 4-1). Brantley rushed for 183 yards in 28 carries and scored touchdowns on runs of 14, seven and 71 yards. Locher had three sacks at linebacker and scored on runs of seven and 36 yards.

“It’s like a dynamic duo,” Brantley said.

Los Alamitos led by only 14-7 early in the fourth quarter, then took charge. The Griffins pounded the ball, with the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Locher going up the middle and letting the quicker Brantley wear down the Chargers outside.

“We didn’t need to pass,” Brantley said.

Los Alamitos opened a 14-0 lead on the strength of Brantley’s 14-yard touchdown run and that seven-yard TD run by Locher. Jake Favreau caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Grant Lowary to close the deficit to 14-7 at halftime. Lowary finished 14 of 35 passing for 248 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.

White caught five passes for 48 yards, four of which were for first downs. Afterward, his father accepted the defeat graciously.

“The better team won,” he said. “They were more physical. They kept pounding us.”

Father and son left the stadium, heads high, ready for the next test.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Twitter: LATSondheimer