Showdown for Chargers, Griffins

Mike Sciacca

Dave White says tonight’s the “big one” for his Edison High football

team.

Each week, though, the games within the Sunset League circle seem

only to get bigger and bigger.

Tonight at 7 p.m. at Gahr High in Cerritos, the marquee game of

the local schedule this week finds Edison taking on Los Alamitos as

two top-ranked teams jockey for position atop the Sunset heap.

It will pit a pair of 5-1 teams who easily won their league

openers last week.

“Los Al will have the best offense we will face all year,” White

said of the Griffins, who are coming off a 56-7 drubbing of Marina.

“They can run, they can throw, they have good skill players. They’re

just so well balanced and I think, overall, they’ll be the best team

we’ll face.”

The Griffins have steamrolled their past four opponents since

losing to undefeated Mission Viejo on Sept. 9.

During that stretch, the Los Al defense has yielded just 21 points

and has one shutout to its credit.

The Griffins’ prolific offense, which is averaging 40 points per

game, is led by quarterback Jimmy Barnes, son of head coach John

Barnes.

The younger Barnes has thrown for 970 yards and 18 touchdowns in 114 attempts -- with just three interceptions.

He’s averaging 161 yards per game.

His favorite target has been Orlando Sandrick, who has an 18.3

yards per catch average. Jeremy Childs is his next best bet and has a

13.5 average.

Cortes Rice led the Griffins ground attack with 580 yards and an

8.0 per yards average, and has scored 11 touchdowns.

Edison is coming off a 49-10 rout of Huntington Beach. That win

came on the heels of their first loss of the season, a 20-14 setback

to Mater Dei.

“I was impressed with our team’s ability to bounce back from the

Mater Dei loss,” White said. “We didn’t feel we played well at all,

in that game, and we came out strong against Huntington.”

Edison comes into tonight’s clash averaging 30 points per game on

offense. Its defense has given up no more than 20 points in a single

game and has two shutouts to its credit.

Abel Cardona -- the Chargers’ leading rusher with 563 yards -- and

Joshua Gage, each average five yards per carry.

Quarterback Brian Shrock has thrown for 1,113 yards and 15 touchdowns with just three interceptions, and is averaging 185 yards

per game.

Jimmy Flanagan leads the receiving corps with a 20.1 average.

Last year’s score: Los Alamitos 28, Edison 20

FRIDAY’S GAMES:

Fountain Valley (2-4, 1-0) at Huntington Beach (4-1-1, 0-1)

(at Huntington Beach High, 7 p.m.)

Both teams saw streaks come to an end during the opening night of

Sunset League play last week.

Fountain Valley broke a four-game losing skid with a stirring,

31-30 comeback win over stunned Esperanza, which had bolted out to a

24-0 lead.

Chris Debrowski threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns in the

victory.

The Barons shared a tri-championship last year with Los Alamitos

and Edison.

Huntington saw its five-game unbeaten string ended in a 49-10 loss

to Edison.

The Oilers’ ground game is led by Justin Montes (861 yards, 7.0

avg.) and Mitch Roemer (529 yards, 8.0 avg.).

Barons-Oilers Series

’66 - Oilers 41, Barons 7

’71 - Oilers 15, Barons 14

’72 - Barons 37, Oilers 28

’73 - Barons 33, Oilers 14

’76 - Barons 43, Oilers 6

’77 - Barons 49, Oilers 6

’78 - Barons 20, Oilers 0

’79 - Barons 34, Oilers 3

’80 - Barons 21, Oilers 6

’81 - Barons 35, Oilers 0

’82 - Barons 17, Oilers 14

’83 - Oilers 6, Barons 3

’84 - Barons 28, Oilers 7

’85 - Barons 27, Oilers 0

’86 - Barons 17, Oilers 7

’87 - Barons 31, Oilers 27

’88 - Barons 42, Oilers 13

’89 - Double forfeit

’90 - Oilers 35, Barons 20

’91 - Oilers 14, Barons 13

’92 - Oilers 27, Barons 7

’93 - Oilers 14, Barons 10

’94 - Barons 27, Oilers 13

’95 - Barons 45, Oilers 6

’96 - Barons 37, Oilers 0

’97 - Barons 24, Oilers 22

’98 - Barons 13, Oilers 12

’99 - Barons 21, Oilers 6

’00 - Barons 28, Oilers 7

’01 - Barons 41, Oilers 21

2002 -- Barons 29, Oilers 22

2003 -- Barons 21, Oilers 6

(Fountain Valley leads, 24-6-1)

Esperanza (4-2, 0-1) at Marina (0-6, 0-1)

(at Westminster High, 7 p.m.)

Two teams looking to put an end to losing streaks will battle it

out at Boswell Field.

While Esperanza was being stung last week by Fountain Valley,

Marina took it on the chin against Los Alamitos, 56-7.

The Vikings have found the tough going offensively and have scored

just one touchdown in five games.

Esperanza, meanwhile, has dropped two straight since opening the

season with four straight victories.

After giving up just 36 total points in those four wins, the

Aztecs have surrendered 51 in consecutive losses to Villa Park and

Fountain Valley.

Running back Charles Neal tops the Esperanza offense with 428

total yards.

Last year’s score: Esperanza 42, Marina 7

Costa Mesa (1-6, 1-2) at Ocean View (1-5, 0-2)

(at Ocean View High, 7 p.m.)

Another loss and Ocean View will be eliminated from playoff

contention.

The Seahawks get a shot at their first Golden West League win when

they host the Mustangs, who are coming off a 27-14 loss to

Saddleback.

Ocean View also has lost to Saddleback, the 29-0 defeat coming on

Oct. 8.

The Seahawks have dropped three straight games, their latest, a

21-14 loss to Estancia.

Ocean View must find a way to contain Mustang quarterback Ryan

French, who has thrown for 725 yards and six touchdowns, four of

which have gone to Jeff Waldron, the team’s leading receiver with an

18 yards per catch average.

Last year’s score: Costa Mesa 53, Ocean View 19