Edison (Calif.) starts fast, then holds off 'Iolani, 41-27

HS Football

Aug 21

By Wes Nakama

Living up to its nickname, the visiting Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.) Chargers bolted to an electrifying 27-0 start Saturday afternoon and then held off 'Iolani, 41-27, in interstate football action at breezy Eddie Hamada Field.

It was the season opener for Edison, long considered a powerhouse program in Orange County. The Raiders fell to 1-1.

The Chargers went 7-6 last season but looked like the talented, veteran team that it is throughout the first half. On its opening drive, Edison efficiently marched 80 yards in 12 plays, culminating in Sam Thompson's 16-yard pass to a wide-open Dominic Harrison. After a bobbling the extra point snap, Thompson scrambled for a two-point conversion run but was tackled in the backfield, leaving the score at 6-0.

On 'Iolani's second possession, Micah Rogers made an interception to give the Chargers the ball on the Raiders' 16. Gavyn Degiacomo plunged in from 1-yard out three plays later and Crue Bradshaw followed with the point-after to make it 13-0 with 3:28 remaining in the first quarter.

'Iolani went three-and-out on the ensuing series, and Edison needed only six plays to traverse 50 yards, ending with Thompson's 13-yard pass to Harrison. Bradshaw's PAT pushed the lead to 20-0 with 14 seconds still left in the quarter.

"It was nothing that we didn't see on film, so we kind of prepped for everything they showed," Raiders coach Pat Samsonas said. "We just had that bad first half. I think it was more mental, too, we came out a little flat. And these guys (the Chargers) are good in the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation), they're up there with Mission Viejo, Los Alamitos ... "

'Iolani's offense finally got untracked a bit early in the second quarter, but even after 17 plays, they could only get to midfield due to penalties and fumbles and were forced to punt again.

Edison then scored just four plays later, when Brett Dempson took a handoff, broke through off-tackle and into the secondary and then scampered for a 59-yard touchdown run. Bradshaw's extra point made it 27-0 with 3:36 remaining in the second quarter.

A three-and-out and a shanked punt on the next series gave the Chargers possession at the Raiders' 35, but on first down cornerback Tauveve Sataraka jumped a sideline route, intercepted Thompson's swing pass and dashed 69 yards to the end zone for a thrilling pick-6. The PAT attempt sailed wide right, leaving the score at 27-6 with 1:55 to go in the half.

'Iolani forced and recovered a fumble on the ensuing kick return, giving the Raiders first-and-10 from the Edison 29. But they fumbled it right back on fourth down just three plays later, and the Chargers took over at their own 46. On first down, Thompson completed an in-route pass to Logan Hampton, who bounced outside and galloped 43 yards all the way to the 'Iolani 11.

Three plays later, Thompson connected with Hampton on a 13-yard TD pass near the front-left pylon. Bradshaw's extra point put Edison ahead, 34-6, with 13 seconds to go before the break.

By halftime, Thompson had 17 completions in 23 attempts for 180 yards and three touchdowns, with the one interception. Defensively, the Chargers held 'Iolani to negative total yardage due to three sacks, one tackle for loss and two fumbles in the backfield.

"I thought we played really well, we were sharp on all sides of the ball," Edison coach Jeff Grady said. "We put good pressure on them defensively, and then we were executing on offense, just keeping it simple and moving the ball pretty efficiently."

The second half proved much better for the Raiders.

After the Chargers lost the ball on downs midway through the third quarter, 'Iolani took over on its own 23 and traveled 77 yards in nine plays, capped by Joshua Griffin's 1-yard plunge, with Ty Matsunaga's PAT cutting the deficit to 34-13.

Sataraka made his second interception on the ensuing series, giving the Raiders possession at the Edison 45. Three plays later, Jadon Anzai took a handoff, saw nothing up the middle, bounced outside to the right and scampered 21 yards to the end zone. Mitsunaga converted the extra point to close it to 34-20 with 11:20 still to play in the fourth quarter.

The Chargers recovered the ensuing onside kick and promptly marched 57 yards in eight plays, culminating in Degiacomo's 2-yard run, with Bradshaw's PAT pushing the lead to 41-20 with 7:13 left in the game.

'Iolani answered with an eight-play, 77-yard TD drive capped by Nixon Ling's 7-yard pass to Karim Boursiquot on a slant route. Mitsunaga's extra point closed it to 41-27 with 3:55 showing on the clock.

But Edison again recovered the ensuing kickoff and was able to eventually run out the clock.

"I just think they knew who they are and they stuck with their plan, and they're a tough group, they're well-coached," Grady said of the Raiders. "They ran the ball effectively, and when they needed to throw it, they had some timely receptions and big plays in the passing game toward the end. They're tough group, and they play physical."

Samsonas said despite the loss, he saw some positives after the slow start.

"At halftime, I told them, I'm not even looking at what the first-half score was," Samsonas said. "It's more of a check of character and body language, and everything like that. We don't want heads down, and I think for the most part in the second half, we didn't have any heads down. The body language was better. It was just checking the mindset at halftime, and they responded well. And as a coaching staff, that was awesome, because they responded well to what we told them at halftime."

Photos: Payton Ito-Ohara