Edison wide receiver Tucker Tripp celebrates a touchdown catch in the end zone in the closing seconds of the second quarter to give the Chargers a 21-10 lead over the CdM before halftime. (Photos: Fernando M. Donado/For OC Sports Zone).
Friday night’s Sunset League football game between Edison and Corona del Mar resembled that of a championship prize fight as both teams slugged it out for four quarters.
But after the dust settled, the Chargers came away with a 28-20 victory over the Sea Kings at Huntington High.
To see the slide show, please click on the first photo:
Edison’s quarterback Parker Awad threw three touchdown passes and Troy Fletcher’s long touchdown run in the fourth quarter secured the win for the Chargers (5-4, 2-1). Corona del Mar fell to 6-2, 1-2.
After the Sea Kings kicked a field goal to cut the lead to 21-13 with 5:53 to play, Fletcher broke a 55-yard TD run on the ensuing series to give Edison a comfortable 28-13 lead with 4:14 to play. CdM added a late touchdown on an 11-yard TD pass from David Rasor to Evan Sanders, but the Chargers were able to run out the clock after recovering an onside kick.
“I feel really good about our receving corps, they gained a lot of yards after making catches tonight,” said Edison Coach Jeff Grady. “The difference in the second half was that we were able to run the ball and we finished strong.”
After a blistering start in which the teams combined to score on the game’s first four possessions, the defenses stiffened in the middle quarters of the game and the Chargers held a 21-10 edge as the fourth quarter began.
Trailing 3-0, Edison responded on its opening possession with a 5-play, 63-yard scoring drive. Awad tossed a 14-yard TD pass to Fletcher, who made an excellent grab at the back of the end zone to give the Chargers a 7-3 lead.
CdM promptly countered with a 9-play, 63-yard drive as Rasor capped off with a 4-yard touchdown run to help the Sea Kings regain the lead 10-7 with 2:33 remaining in the first quarter. Awad rallied Edison and threw a 22-yard TD pass to Ashton Hurley as the Chargers moved ahead 14-10 in final seconds of the opening quarter.
Both teams produced long drives in the second quarter, but had them foiled by missed field goal attempts. However, Edison marched 51 yards in seven plays late in the quarter and took a 21-10 lead on Awad’s third TD pass of the half – a 3-yard scoring strike to Tucker Tripp – to give the Chargers a 21-10 advantage at the break.
Awad completed 16 passes for 263 yards and three TDs in the opening half (he finished the game with 19 completions for 296 yards). Rasor completed 18 passes for 179 yards for the Sea Kings. Sanders rushed for 74 yards and caught six passes for 45 yards and a touchdown for the Sea Kings. Nico Brown and Fletcher combined to catch 10 passes for 165 yards for the Chargers. Edison defensive end Austin Grbic had a strong game as he recorded three sacks.
“It feels really good to win this game; it seems like we corrected a lot of mistakes from last week,” said Awad. “Every time I got in trouble, my receivers made big catches.”
CdM coach Dan O’Shea said his team had its chances.
“This one will burn tonight and we’ll own it, but when we wake up on Saturday, the only thing we’re going to think about is next week’s game against Newport Harbor; it’s the biggest game in the city every year,” said O’Shea. “We had three opportunities within the red zone and we settled for three field goal attempts and that’s inexcusable. I take my hat off to number 21 (Troy Fletcher). He is a tremendous football player.”
—Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone
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