Chargers put unbeaten streak on line

The Edison High football team will put its unbeaten streak on the

line tonight when the Chargers play host to Arcadia at Huntington Beach

High.

Edison will celebrate its homecoming in a 7 p.m. kickoff at Sheue

Field.

Despite rolling to a 4-0 start and a 42 points per game scoring

average during that stretch, Edison Coach Dave White is wary of an

Arcadia that is streaking itself.

‘Don’t let their record fool you - Arcadia’s a solid football

team,’ White said of the 2-2 Apaches. ‘They have a great tailback

returning who really hurt us last year, and he’s the key to their

offense.’

The player White is referring to is returning All-Pacific League

tailback Quincy Williams, a 6-foot, 185 senior who helped lead Arcadia to

the 1998 Pacific League championship.

With Williams the prize in the Apache backfield, quarterback Mark

Carroll (6-1, 165, Sr.) and wide receiver Quinn Ciccarelli (5-10, 160,

Sr.) give Arcadia a potent passing attack.

Both Carroll and Ciccarelli are returning all-league players.

The Apache trio had a big hand in dealing Edison a 35-14 setback

last season.

‘This is a big game for us,’ White said. ‘Not only would a win

against a very tough team give us an unbeaten record in nonleague play,

but it also would give us a big boost heading into next week’s Sunset

League schedule. We hope this is a good homecoming game for us.’

Arcadia’s main concern tonight will be trying to find a way to

stop Edison running back Darryl Poston, the county’s top receiver. Better

yet, all the Apaches might hope to do is contain the speedy junior.

‘He’s a good one and we’ll have our hands full trying to stop

him,’ Arcadia Coach Jim Masterson said. ‘We started the season real slow,

but we’ve come on strongly these past two weeks.’

Poston, who played only the first half in a season-opening win

over Punahou, then just shy of three full quarters against both Cypress

and Capistrano Valley before giving a complete-game performance in last

week’s win over Long Beach Wilson, comes into tonight’s game averaging

9.9 yards per carry. The 5-11, 171 back has amassed 751 yards and 14

touchdowns - both marks tops in the county.

‘Darryl’s having an outstanding season,’ White said. ‘But I really

think our offense continues to get better with each game, and that’s

encouraging to see, especially with league play just around the corner.

Our defense also is beginning to get better, which is a good thing, too.’

Edison’s defense has given up an average of 14 points per game,

but had its best outing of the season last week when it came up with five

turnovers and a blocked punt in a 35-12 drubbing of Long Beach Wilson.

Arcadia has begun to turn things around. An 0-2 start - with

losses to St. Francis (26-16) and the top-ranked team in Division VI, Los

Altos (38-7), has been eased with consecutive one-sided victories, 38-14

over defending Division XI champion St. Monica and, most recently, 44-16

over Arroyo.

Both Edison and Arcadia come into the match-up with top 10

rankings, the Chargers at No. 6 in Division I, while the Apaches hold

down the No. 8 spot in Division III.