Cole Edwards

Barry Faulkner

The self-imposed pressure of a friendly pregame bet helped turn

Cole Edwards into a defensive diamond Friday night.

Edwards, half-jokingly, accepted a challenge from Costa Mesa High

football coach Dave Perkins that if he could collect four quarterback

sacks against crosstown rival Estancia, Perkins would treat him to

lunch.

“When I first made the bet, it was kind of like messing around,”

Edwards said, “like bragging in a really dumb way. Then, when I

realized it could happen (after getting two sacks in the first half),

I knew I had to take it seriously.”

The result was some serious damage inflicted on the Eagles,

including four sacks and an astounding total of nine tackles behind

the line. The aforementioned nine of Edwards’ 10 tackles for the

game, produced negative 87 rushing yards for Estancia, which finished

with minus-47 yards on the ground and a 41-0 loss that marked the

third largest margin of defeat in the 36-game Battle for the Bell

series.

“It was the best game I’ve ever had and probably the best I ever

will have,” said the 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior, who had to work his

way off the bench, then onto the defensive line, then out from under

the piles created by back-to-back double-wing opponents, in order to

seize the spotlight in just his fourth varsity start.

“He was looking forward to the Estancia game, because he thought

he had pretty good matchup,” Perkins said. “He was a lot quicker than

the guy he was going up against.”

While quickness is his biggest asset, it took some time for the

Daily Pilot Player of the Week to emerge into such a brilliant

spotlight.

After playing only on special teams last year as a sophomore,

Edwards sprained his ankle in the preseason scrimmage and was forced

to sit out the season opener against Corona del Mar.

When Edwards returned, it was at inside linebacker, where he

toiled in a reserve role against Chaminade and Laguna Beach. But

Perkins and his staff, seeking a little more quickness at defensive

end, gave Edwards his first start against Ocean View.

“I was getting tackles every once in a while at linebacker, but I

wasn’t doing what I wanted to do,” Edwards said. “I’d played

defensive line in three years of Pop Warner and another of Junior

All-American and I think I had a lot more enthusiasm about playing

end.”

After playing well in a 26-7 Golden West League-opening win over

Ocean View, that enthusiasm was tested in victories over Santiago and

Orange, both of which sent a handful of blockers through the

off-tackle hole, where Edwards’ assignment was merely to make as big

a pile as possible.

But Estancia’s wide line splits and lack of quickness up front,

presented Edwards an opportunity he relentlessly seized.

“I knew I could use my speed,” Edwards said. “I’m not the

strongest guy out there and the Estancia linemen were a lot bigger.

They got their hands on me a couple times, and that was it for me.”

The rest of the game, however, Edwards left Eagle blockers in his

wake.

“I took advantage of them,” Edwards said. “They were big, but not

fast, and I started anticipating the count. Since Estancia never went

on anything but one, I was in the backfield a lot of times as their

linemen were just standing up to block me. Once I got in the

backfield, I was focused on the quarterback. Everyone else was just

in my way.”

Edwards’ first big play came on special teams. He smothered the

punter, who had fumbled the long snap, forcing a fumble while making

the tackle, then recovering for a 22-yard loss to set up the

Mustangs’ first touchdown.

He was involved in three-man sacks for losses of 8 and 20 yards,

the latter on fourth down, made a solo sack for an 18-yard loss on

fourth-and-12, and shared another sack for a 7-yard loss.

In addition, he stopped running plays for losses of 2,4,5 and 1

yards, creating a virtual public address loop of “tackle by Cole

Edwards.”

“A lot of people were coming up to me after the game, saying it

was like a broken record, hearing my name so much,” Edwards said.

“(The postgame well-wishers) were telling me I played a great game

and, this time, I knew they had to mean it.”

Edwards said his postgame ritual also includes a critique from his

father, Dave, a former Costa Mesa standout defensive lineman (Class

of 1970), who went on to play at Golden West College and Weber State.

“He teaches me things and tells me what to do the next time,” the

younger Edwards said.