Battle of the Beach host passes on another defeat

Mike Sciacca

For the first time in the eight-year history of the Battle at the

Beach passing tournament, the Edison High School football team can

call itself champion of the event.

Edison, which has hosted each of the eight tournaments, won the

title by defeating South Hills, 25-12, in the tournament final

Saturday.

The Chargers played seven games and finished 6-1 overall.

Their title-game triumph avenged their only loss in the

tournament, a six-point setback to South Hills in an earlier round

game Saturday morning.

“We’ve done really well in this tournament in years past, and it

feels good to finally win this thing,” Edison coach Dave White said.

White noted that Edison has played in the tournament final four of

the eight years.

Chargers who stood out Saturday in the seven-game stretch included

a trio of two-way players, receivers/safeties Dominique Vinson and

Jimmy Flanagan and receiver/linebacker Hunter White, and quarterback

Brian Shrock.

“This has always been a good tournament, but this is the best one

we’ve had yet,” White said of the 16-team tournament, which had teams

representing the CIF Southern, San Diego and Northern sections and

included CIF champions and runners-up teams in 2004.

The 16-team tournament field included Edison, Santa Margarita,

Foothill, Hart of Valencia, Clovis West, Valencia of Valencia, Los

Alamitos, Tustin, Kennedy, Carlsbad, Mater Dei, Diamond Ranch, Tesoro

and South Hills.

Before defeating South Hills in the final, Edison defeated Santa

Margarita in the quarterfinal round and Hart in the semifinal round.

South Hills defeated Los Alamitos in the other semifinal to reach

the final.

For the second year in a row, Edison has been asked to compete at

the invite-only Nike Passing Tournament.

The eight-team, one-day event, will be held Friday on the campus

of USC.

“We’re real excited to be playing there again,” White said. “We

had a great experience last year, and the tournament has some of the

best high school programs around.”

The eight-team field includes Edison, Mission Viejo, Long Beach

Poly, Hart, Valencia of Valencia, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, Oaks

Christian and Springdale High of Springdale, Arkansas.

Edison defeated Valencia and lost to Long Beach Poly at last

year’s tournament.

Mission Viejo defeated Long Beach Poly in last year’s tournament

final.

In other football news, the North held off the South, 18-13, in

the 46th edition of the Orange County All-Star Football Game Friday

at Orange Coast College.

Three Edison players -- Adam Goodman, Joshua Gage and Logan

Galitski -- competed for the South in the contest, and Goodman, the

primary South tight end, led his squad in both receptions (four) and

total yards receiving (45).

Gage and Galitski each played defense for the South.