Here they go again

Two teams playing near the top of their game square off Friday at El Modena High in Orange, as Edison takes on host Servite in the quarterfinal-round of the CIF Pac-5 Division playoffs.

The Chargers moved on in postseason play after dominating Crespi of Encino, 35-13, last Friday at Orange Coast College.

That same night, Servite also posted an easy first-round win, defeating visiting Long Beach Wilson, 46-7.

Friday’s meeting is the second of the season between seventh-seeded Edison (9-2) and No. 2 seed Servite (8-3), teams that won a share of their respective league championships.

On Sept. 23, Edison pulled away late to score a 28-13 win over the host Friars.

“Both teams are playing better than they were in the fourth week of the season,” Edison Coach Dave White said. “It’s going to be a great ballgame with two very good teams going head-to-head. We’re excited to get a shot at the No. 2-seeded team. We have a win over them already, but everybody says we’re the underdog in this one.”

Sunset League co-champion Edison played soundly on both sides of the ball in the last month, a span where the Chargers have won four games in convincing fashion.

The fewest points the Chargers offense has scored in those last four games is 31, and their defense has not given up more than a touchdown in each of those four wins.

In last Friday’s win over Crespi, Edison turned to its rushing game when its always-reliable passing game wasn’t there.

“We had been throwing the ball well all year but we didn’t pass-block well nor click in our passing against Crespi,” White said. “Our running game has been getting untracked the past few weeks and we had more success with it against Crespi.

“To win in the playoffs, you have to be able to pass and run, to find a nice balance.”

Devon Bahrami rushed for Edison’s first touchdown and Areseo Lakey scored on a pair of second-quarter touchdown runs against Crespi. The Chargers defense also got into the scoring act with Jimmy Keating reaching the end zone on an interception return and Hunter White on a fumble return.

“We’ve scored more touchdowns on defense, I think eight times now, this year, than any year I can remember,” Dave White said.

It was Edison’s defense that turned the game around in that first meeting with Servite on Sept. 23. Hunter White and Dominique Vinson each returned interceptions for touchdowns in the fourth quarter that allowed the Chargers to pull away from a slim, 14-13 lead.

The Chargers will need another staunch defensive effort against a Servite team that won a share of the Trinity League title.

Since losing to Edison on Sept. 23, the Friars have won seven of their last eight games. One was by forfeit over JSerra and their only loss during that stretch was an overtime loss on Nov. 3 to archrival Mater Dei.

Their latest win came last Friday over an out-manned Long Beach Wilson team that finished fourth in the Moore League and entered the playoffs with a 3-7 record.

“It’s hard to gauge how we played last week because we were playing a team that had won three games all year,” Servite Coach Troy Thomas said. “Going into that game we were hoping not to look past Wilson and the kids did a good job of not doing that.

“I think that anytime Servite and Edison get together it’s a physical game. They have a lot of good players and are very well-coached. Both schools like to play in this type of atmosphere. Both teams played well when we first played in September, and I expect the same again Friday.”

Six Friars scored in the win over Wilson with Matthew Flanagan scoring twice, including on the opening kickoff. Servite is led defensively by USC-bound Chris Galippo who was league MVP last year as a junior.

Edison and Servite have a playoff history.

The teams first met in postseason play in 1979 and the Chargers scored a 17-0 victory en route to the Big 5 championship. The following year, the Chargers opened the playoffs with a 35-0 victory over the Friars that sent them on their way to a second consecutive Big 5 crown. But in 1981, Servite halted Edison’s 32-game school-record win streak with a 14-7 upset victory. The schools also met during the 1985 postseason, a game that went to Edison (14-13).

The schools have met annually in nonleague play since the 2000 season. That year, Edison defeated the Friars, 35-33, in nonleague play and again in the first-round of the playoffs (24-19). The Chargers are 5-2 against the Friars the last seven years.

The winner of Friday’s game moves on to the Pac-5 Division semifinals on Dec. 1 against the winner of the Mission Viejo/Santa Margarita quarterfinal game also played Friday.