Charged up! Edison stomps Servite, 23-9

HUNTINGTON BEACH — The Edison High football team owned the line of scrimmage, pushing back the vaunted Servite defensive line Friday night at Huntington Beach High.

The Friars came into the game ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division poll, but the Chargers said they never doubted the outcome.

No. 3-ranked Edison held top-ranked Servite without an offensive touchdown in the 23-9 victory before an overflow crowd announced at 5,499 fans. The ones in green assuredly went home more happy than the ones in black.

The Edison homecoming halftime theme was based on the video game “Super Mario Bros.” Edison looked like Mario after eating the one-up mushroom.

“We were pretty confident,” Edison Coach Dave White said. “We have a lot of seniors who felt like maybe we should have won last year, and we had a great off-season. We respected the heck out of [Servite] and really felt like they were the No. 1 team, but we were really confident. We don’t feel like this is an upset. We felt like we could play with them, and our kids really played well.

“A lot of kids stepped up and had their best games tonight. We told them big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games, and I think we had a lot of kids do that tonight.”

The Chargers (4-0) were equally proficient through the air, where quarterback Matt Viles threw a four-yard touchdown pass to fellow senior Jeff Trojan and also ran it in himself from a yard out, as well as the ground, were senior running back Wade Houston kept his legs moving all night long and rumbled to 108 yards on 22 carries. Houston also scored on a two-yard touchdown run midway through the third, giving Edison a 10-6 lead after the team trailed at halftime.

“The offensive line made big holes and I just found the hole,” Houston said. “Anybody could have done that, I feel. Our coaches just had us real prepared for this game. I thought we were going to go more to the air, but after I broke one, we just started moving the ball more and more.”

The touchdown pass to Trojan, which gave Edison its 23-9 lead with 5:28 left in the game, was set up when Viles found senior Dylan Leener on a 52-yard reception over the middle. Viles finished with 231 yards passing.

Trojan dropped a couple of passes earlier in the game, but he finished with six catches for 63 yards — all in the second half.

He also made an important catch on defense just before halftime, intercepting Servite quarterback Cody Fajardo.

“I just had to compose myself, get my thoughts together and remember it’s a long game,” Trojan said. “We had to come back and I had to help the team win ... We know they’re a great team, but we were totally confident. We have a great senior class. We’re all brothers, and we play hard together and we’re not going to let each other lose.”

The defense was perhaps even more impressive. After the Friars (3-1) blocked an Edison 50-yard field goal attempt and senior Chris Nicholls ran it back for a touchdown in the first quarter, Servite would not find the end zone again.

This, from a team that had averaged over 38 points per game in three previous impressive wins against Long Beach Poly, Clovis West and Crespi. Fajardo tried to do it himself on occasion Friday night, scrambling for 26 yards on a third-and-22 late in the first quarter. But that was the Friars’ biggest play from scrimmage the entire game.

“We just came out here to hit and play as hard as possible,” said senior linebacker Jordan Zumwalt, who played with a cast on his broken left hand. “That’s what we did ... We just play hard. We’ve all been playing together for a long time and we’re tight-knit, man.”

The defensive line was anchored by Gane and junior Charles Burks at ends, while Leener also seemed to be always around the ball. Senior linebacker Shaun McLaughlin and Trojan both made bone-popping hits on a kickoff return and pass play, respectively, further exciting the Chargers crowd.

“They kicked our butts,” Servite Coach Troy Thomas said succinctly after the game. “They came out here and ran it down our throat. That’s me not making the necessary adjustments defensively, and I take full responsibility for it.”

Gane’s family presented Servite with a plaque in a pregame ceremony, as Servite was a team that helped his family out when he was dealing with aplastic anemia a year ago.

“All the glory to God,” Gane said on the win. “Our defense worked so hard ... The whole key was just do your job and not allow big plays. That was it. This senior class is just amazing.”

Senior Markus Trujillo had a 38-yard field goal in the first quarter for the Chargers’ first points of the game.

Edison faces Mater Dei in its final nonleague game Thursday at Santa Ana Stadium.