Huntington Beach football caps playoff push with win over El Dorado

Huntington Beach likely lengthened its season behind a huge goal-line stand, its explosive passing game, and vital performances following its star receiver’s probable season-ending injury.

The Oilers rolled to a 49-28 victory Thursday night over visiting El Dorado to move into position for the Epsilon League’s third guaranteed CIF Southern Section playoff berth as sophomore quarterback Brady Edmunds topped 300 passing yards for the seventh time and tossed four touchdown passes.

Steel Kurtz stepped into Troy Foster’s role and caught two of the touchdown throws — the big one: a 74-yard dagger for a 29-7 lead 12 seconds before halftime — and Huntington Beach (6-4, 3-2 in the Epsilon League) answered every El Dorado foray the rest of the way.

“[Making the playoffs] is everything,” said Edmunds, who led the Oilers to the Division 6 semifinals a year ago. “Last year we barely snuck into the playoffs, and then the playoffs are all that matter, and we got on a huge run. To get in the playoffs is great, and hopefully we get Troy healthy by week one or two. I think we can make a great run.”

Foster, a junior with 58 receptions for 1,126 yards and 13 touchdowns, suffered what was thought to be a turf-toe injury three weeks ago against La Habra. He kept playing, with a career-best 10 catches for 213 yards and four touchdowns in the critical, tiebreaker-clinching victory over Foothill — the Knights would share third place with an upset Friday night over first-place La Habra — and then lasted a series in last week’s loss to second-place Crean Lutheran before the pain grew too great.

The stress fracture was diagnosed this week, and Huntington Beach coach Brett Brown said he could possibly return “if we make it to state.”

Kurtz, who had 51 catches for 713 yards through nine games as the Oilers’ No. 2 receiver, suddenly was the top target. He caught five balls for a career-best 149 yards.

“We knew with Troy out, Steel needed to step up,” Brown said. “We told him all week, and he embraced the challenge, and he was huge for us.”

Said Kurtz: “It sucks that Troy’s out for the season, but it’s not just me that has to step up. The whole receiving crew has to step up ... it’s amazing how much we could step up in just one week.”

Niko Lopez pulled in three passes for 99 yards and a 40-yard score, and Gabe Bryant turned a hitch play into a 56-yard touchdown — 2 yards more than his total in the first nine games — on the first play from scrimmage.

The 6-foot-5 Edmunds completed 15 of 24 passes for 334 yards, his fourth-best total this season, to break the school passing record he set last year as a freshman at 2,691 yards, passing the mark on the end-of-first-half score. He’s up to 2,871.

“He’s unbelievable. I haven’t coached anyone like him,” said Brown, whose team amassed a season-best 498 yards . “He’s a gamer. He’s a competitor, wants the ball in his hands, and makes big plays. He’s a special kid.”

El Dorado (3-7, 1-4) had its finest offensive game, totaling 417 yards behind quarterback Luke Coulter (career-best 272 yards), running back J.P. Murray (142 rushing) and receiver Xavier Cadena (eight receptions for 112).

The Golden Hawks were down by 14 after Kurtz’s 18-yard, end-zone reception just past the midpoint in the first quarter, halved the deficit on a Murray run three minutes later, then had two chances to pull even after forcing a pair of turnovers. Dylan Cunningham intercepted Coulter in the red-zone five plays into the second quarter, and then the Oilers’ defense was again challenged after a 40-yard Murray run to the 4-yard line.

El Dorado inched to the 2-yard line on carries by Murray and Cadena, and Murray was stopped for no gain on third down. The last try up the middle, by Murray, hit a wall of linemen. Huntington Beach scored six plays later, on an Edmunds run following a 34-yard completion to Lopez and 18-yard Charles Stubin run, and Edmunds’ long throw to Kurtz pushed the advantage to three possessions.

“It was huge [at the goal line],” Brown said. “We didn’t tackle as well as we should have tonight, but for us to come up big in that situation was a momentum-changer and a game changer.”

The teams traded touchdowns the rest of the way, with El Dorado trimming its deficit three times and the Oilers — on Lopez’s reception and runs by Micah Riola and Stubin — restoring it after each.

Epsilon League

Huntington Beach 49, El Dorado 28

SCORE BY QUARTERS

El Dorado 7 - 0 - 14 - 7 — 28

Huntington Beach 14 - 15 - 13 - 7 — 49

FIRST QUARTER

HB — Bryant 56 pass from Edmunds (Zavala kick), 11:43.

HB — Kurtz 18 pass from Edmunds (Zavala kick), 4:34.

ED — Murray 1 run (Tierney kick), 1:45.

SECOND QUARTER

HB — Edmunds 5 run (Kurtz run), 3:07.

HB — Kurtz 74 pass from Edmunds (Zavala kick), 0:12.

THIRD QUARTER

ED — Karg 55 pass from Coulter (Tierney kick), 10:23.

HB — Riola 1 run (Zavala kick failed), 8:21.

ED — Tapia 42 pass from Coulter (Tierney kick), 2:44.

HB — Lopez 40 pass from Edmunds (Zavala kick), 2:29.

FOURTH QUARTER

ED — Murray 10 run (Tierney kick), 7:27.

HB — Stubin 12 run (Zavala kick), 3:42.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

ED — Murray, 22-142, 2 TDs.

HB — Riola, 9-84, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

ED — Coulter, 17-27-1, 272, 2 TDs.

HB — Edmunds, 15-24-1, 334, 4 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

ED — Cadena, 8-112.

HB — Kurtz, 5-149, 2 TDs.