Edison football converts turnovers into points, win over Los Alamitos
Some could consider it a blessing in disguise that the Edison High football team opens Sunset League play against the two teams that shared the league title last year.
The strong nonleague opponents that the Chargers scheduled prepared them to take on the likes of Los Alamitos and Corona del Mar.
Even with Los Alamitos entering Friday with just one win on the season, Chargers coach Jeff Grady hardly considered the league opener to be a trap game.
“We’re not lulled to sleep by [an opponent’s] record,” Grady said before the contest.
A slow start did not prevent the Chargers from making a statement. Indeed, as the homecoming theme suggested, it was a “paradise” for Edison on offense, which benefited from prime field position all night.
Braeden Boyles produced 254 yards of total offense, including three passing touchdowns and a rushing score, as Edison rolled past visiting Los Alamitos 42-21 at Huntington Beach High.
The Chargers pounced on four fumbles with recoveries by Jerian Operana, Gavin Chiavetta, Jeremy Alcorn and Troy Fletcher. All four fumble recoveries came in Los Alamitos territory, and two of them came when the Griffins (1-5) turned the ball over on kickoff returns.
Edison (4-2), ranked No. 7 in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 poll, converted three of those four fumble recoveries into touchdowns.
“That’s huge,” Grady said. “That’s plagued us in the past, and it plagued us earlier in the game. We won the turnover battle and capitalized.”
Turnovers keyed big swings of momentum in the first half. On the second play from scrimmage, the Griffins jumped on a fumble by Mike Walters and started their opening drive in a goal-to-go scenario.
On a third consecutive running play, Oscar Brown V crossed the goal line from two yards out on a pitch to the left.
Los Alamitos added on. Jonah Villalba leaked out on a wheel route, and Cade McConnell found him for a 47-yard touchdown to give the Griffins a 14-0 lead at the 3:44 mark of the first quarter.
Back came the Chargers, aided in large part by ball-handling blunders by the Griffins. Edison scored 28 unanswered points to end the first half. It began with Cole Koffler taking a Boyles pass near the line of scrimmage for a 20-yard touchdown.
Then Los Alamitos committed its first turnover on a kickoff return, setting up the Chargers just outside of the red zone.
Boyles threw to the back of the end zone this time, and Bradley Luna pulled in a 19-yard touchdown pass on a diving effort.
“I didn’t think that anyone could have got there,” Boyles said of Luna’s catch. “He laid out. He sold out for that ball. It was great.”
Boyles added a four-yard touchdown to Nico Brown, and Walters scored on a seven-yard run with 29 seconds left in the half as Edison took a 28-14 lead to the locker room.
It turns out that a football uniform works for all occasions. Koffler had three catches for 59 yards and a touchdown at halftime. He stayed on the field during the homecoming ceremony, where he was announced as the Chargers’ homecoming king.
“I think I was the best-looking person on the field right now,” Koffler said of being in uniform amongst an assortment of suits and tuxedos. “Out of everyone on the [homecoming] court, I’m pretty sure I was the best-looking one.”
Koffler said he was able to enjoy the ceremony more because his team had a lead, but he said that the message to the team was to finish the game when he got back in the locker room.
Los Alamitos made the margin less comfortable for the Chargers. Backup quarterback Malachi Nelson completed a 41-yard pass to Jeremiah Ingram, and Villalba followed with a three-yard rushing touchdown to cut Edison’s lead to 28-21 with 11:37 remaining.
Facing a third down on Edison’s next drive, Boyles showcased breakaway speed on a 65-yard scoring dash up the middle.
“The line created a great hole, and then I just took off,” Boyles said. “I’ve never hit that gear before. That’s a new thing.”
Mateo Liau had 79 rushing yards, and Tanner Nelson added 65 yards on the ground for the Chargers. Walters ended up with 11 carries for 26 yards and two touchdowns. PJ Campbell also had three catches for 60 yards.
Trent Fletcher had two sacks, taking his season total to six.
The Sea Kings, ranked No. 1 in CIF Southern Section Division 3, open Sunset League play with a 49-6 victory, but coach Dan O’Shea is less than thrilled.
“The defense showed up, and I’m looking forward to playing against [CdM] next week [at Davidson Field],” said Fletcher, a senior defensive end. “It’s going to be a good game, and I hope to do well against them.”
Sunset League
Edison 42, Los Alamitos 21
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Los Alamitos 14 – 0 – 0 – 7 — 21
Edison 7 – 21 – 0 – 14 — 42
FIRST QUARTER
LA – Brown V 2 run (Shafton kick), 10:12.
LA – Villalba 47 pass from McConnell (Shafton kick), 3:44.
E – Koffler 20 pass from Boyles (Tro. Fletcher kick), 0:24.
SECOND QUARTER
E – Luna 19 pass from Boyles (Tro. Fletcher kick), 11:52.
E – Brown 4 pass from Boyles (Tro. Fletcher kick), 5:58.
E – Walters 7 run (Tro. Fletcher kick), 0:29.
FOURTH QUARTER
LA – Villalba 3 run (Shafton kick), 11:37.
E – Boyles 65 run (Tro. Fletcher kick), 7:55.
E – Walters 1 run (Tro. Fletcher kick), 6:13.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
LA – Brown V, 10-47, 1 TD.
E – Boyles, 6-81, 1 TD.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
LA – McConnell, 9-17-0, 158, 1 TD.
E – Boyles, 16-20-0, 173, 3 TDs.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
LA – Villalba, 2-62, 1 TD.
E – Koffler, 4-66, 1 TD.
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