A Night of Firsts

Tonight will be a night of firsts for the Edison High football

program.

Not only is it Parent’s Night, but when the Long Beach Wilson

Bruins pay a visit to Huntington Beach High’s Sheue Field, it will be the

first home game of the 1999 prep season - now in its fourth week - for

the Chargers.

It will be the first time the home folk get to see the 3-0

Chargers, who come into the Independent’s Game of the Week with a No. 2

county ranking, and a No. 7 spot in the latest CIF Southern Section

Division I poll.

But perhaps most importantly, it will be the first time that

Edison will see a Wilson squad which sent the Chargers on their way to an

uncharacteristic spiral one fateful night last September.

Edison also entered last year’s contest with a 3-0 mark, but

returned home from Long Beach with a sobering 64-34 defeat.

The 64 points were the most scored by an opponent in Edison

history, and the defeat was the beginning of a seven-game winless streak.

But, it’s a new season, and Edison is on a roll.

Wilson isn’t, and limps into the game with a 1-2 mark.

Needless to say, the Chargers are ready, and eager to make amends

for last year’s debacle.

‘We got embarrassed last year, and our defense hasn’t forgotten

it,’ Edison Coach Dave White said. ‘We’ve had a week off to prepare, and

our players are approaching Thursday’s game in a business-like manner. We

have a chance to pay Wilson back.’

The Edison offense comes into the contest with a lofty 45 points

per game average, while the Charger defense has limited its first three

opponents to an average of 15 points.

That average would have been lower, had Edison not yielded 27

points in its last win, a 15-point decision over Capistrano Valley on

Sept. 17.

‘We gave up too many points at Capo (Valley), and our defense will

need to shore things up if it hopes to contain Wilson,’ White said. ‘You

really can’t simulate Wilson’s wing t offense in practice, though. They

run a lot of misdirection, and that can cause problems.’

Bruin quarterback David Battle caused Edison most of its problems

a year ago, as his bootlegs and passing engineered Wilson’s one-sided

triumph.

Battle is back for one more shot at the Chargers.

‘He’s a tough one to contain,’ White said of Battle, ‘and he was

the main player who hurt us the most last year. He does a real good job

of directing their attack.’

Wilson’s high-powered wing t has struggled in the early stages

this season and has averaged just 12 points in its first three games. The

Division I Bruins opened the season against a pair of Division II

opponents, losing 36-23 to second-ranked Peninsula before rebounding to

blank No. 6 Paramount, 21-0.

Wilson, however, is coming off a 56-13 shellacking at Leuzinger.

‘Last year’s loss to Wilson was a turning point for our team, and

this year’s game definitely is a big turning point this season,’ White

added. ‘A win would be good for the psyche of both the players and

coaches, and give us a big push heading into league play.’