Chargers in semifinal Friday

Both teams are coming off underdog wins by small margins, but all that will be forgotten Friday in the CIF Pac-5 Division playoffs, when the Edison Chargers battle the Santa Margarita Eagles for the first time.

Two of the county’s top programs will line up at 8 p.m. at the Home Depot Center in Carson in the semifinal-round. It’s the nightcap of a Pac-5 doubleheader at the center, where Orange Lutheran and Long Beach Poly will play in the division’s other semifinal game at 4:30 p.m.

The winners of those semifinal games return to Carson on Dec. 9 to play in the Pac-5 championship game.

“It’s going to be a great setting for high school football,” Edison Coach Dave White said of Friday’s doubleheader.

Edison (10-2) advanced to the semifinal round by eliminating second-seeded Servite. The Chargers shot out to a 21-0 lead and held a 21-7 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. They withstood the loss of two-way star Hunter White and a furious Servite rally to defeat the Friars, 28-21, at El Modena High.

Dominique Vinson started the game’s scoring with a huge play. The senior, another of the Chargers’ two-way standouts, returned an interception for a touchdown. A touchdown run by Areseo Lakey preceded a scoring pass from Nick Crissman to Hunter White, scores which put Edison up, 21-0.

White, a receiver and linebacker, took a big lick — one of three he incurred during the game — from Servite defensive star Chris Galippo toward the end of the third quarter. White went off the field after the head-on collision with the USC-bound Galippo, but then dropped to the ground on the Edison sideline, Dave White said, adding that his son passed out for “about a minute.”

A brace was placed around Hunter White’s neck, and he was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital. He was released later that night.

Dave White said Hunter White’s status for Friday’s game against Santa Margarita won’t be decided until game time by doctors.

“He was breathing when he went down but wasn’t moving,” Dave White said. “He suffered a bad concussion on the play. We’ve held him out of practice all week. We’ll see if he’s ready to play Friday, but it’s the doctors’ decision.”

With Hunter White out of action, Servite rallied from a 21-7 deficit to tie the game at 21-21 in the fourth quarter. But the Chargers showed their resilience and perseverance by scoring what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown with 3:04 remaining. A pass from Crissman to Jacob Slaton just three plays after Servite had tied the score gave the Chargers the victory.

The win marked the second time this year that Edison has defeated Servite. In September, the Chargers also defeated the Friars on the road, 28-13.

Now comes a test against Santa Margarita. The Eagles, also 10-2, made their way into the semifinal round by stunning perennial power Mission Viejo last week. A two-point conversion run by quarterback Eric Reisinger in the final two minutes was the difference in a 25-24 ballgame.

“They really are a lot like us,” Dave White said of the Eagles. “They don’t have a lot of big-name guys but play well as a team. They favor the run and have a couple of big wins this year over Long Beach Poly and Mater Dei.”

When it comes to common opponents, Edison and Santa Margarita both defeated Fountain Valley. The Chargers lost to Mater Dei but defeated Servite twice. The Eagles defeated Mater Dei but one of their two losses is to Servite.

The records

Edison (10-2)

35...Diamond Ranch...6

27...San Clemente...14

57...L.A. Jordan...3

28...Servite...13

14...Mater Dei...21

Sunset League

37...Marina...2

0...Esperanza...38

37...Newport Harbor...6

31...Fountain Valley...9

28...Los Alamitos...7

CIF Playoffs

35...Crespi...13

28...Servite...21

Santa Margarita (10-2)

9...Long Beach Poly...7

51...Paloma Valley...17

28...Dorsey...14

21...Fountain Valley...3

7...Foothill...6

Trinity League

17...Mater Dei...7

39...Orange Lutheran...49

2...JSerra...0 (forfeit)

28...St. John Bosco...23

16...Servite...36

CIF Playoffs

49...Lakewood...23

25...Mission Viejo...24