Oilers, Chargers advance

Plenty of football teams won their first CIF Southern Section playoff game Friday night, advancing to this week’s quarterfinals.

Few of those teams, though, had a victory as special as what Huntington Beach High could claim.

The Oilers topped Anaheim, 21-10, in the first round of the Southwest Division playoffs. It was the first time they had won a CIF football playoff game since 1993, when current NFL standout tight end Tony Gonzalez roamed the halls at the high school.

Coach Eric Lo said this year is also the first time Huntington Beach (7-4) has made the playoffs back-to-back years since 1992-93.

Things will get considerably harder this week, however, as the Oilers tangle with No. 2-seeded Tustin at 7 Friday night at Huntington Beach High.

The Tillers (10-1) have won eight straight games and boast an impressive running attack, led by senior Anthony Wilkerson (2,322 yards, 34 touchdowns), a Stanford commit.

“With a back like Wilkerson, we want to get to him before he gets going,” Lo said. “We don’t want him to have a full head of steam. We want to gang-tackle him and live with those short gains.”

Of course, it’s easier said than done.

“He’s a very good football player,” Lo said. “He’s explosive. He’s got some speed and some strength.”

The Oilers’ senior tailback Jack Dilbeck (separated shoulder) is out. But that was the case last week too, which Kaller Roemer, Nolan Biegel and Dennis McCarthy all pitched in for ball-carrying duties.

Biegel rushed for 101 yards, including a four-yard score in the fourth quarter to help put the game away.

“He’s also our starting middle linebacker and he’s only a sophomore,” Lo said. “He did remarkably well. I was happy. They ran hard.”

Lo said the Oilers will also be boosted this week with the return from injury of two starters, receiver/cornerback Hayden Raye and defensive tackle Preston Harden.

“We’ve been fighting injuries all year long,” he said. “Last week, it was bad. We had 15 injuries.”

The other team still alive is Edison, which plays Dana Hills on Friday:

FRIDAY

Edison (11-0) vs. Dana Hills (9-2), 7 p.m. at Orange Coast College: The top-seeded Chargers eased past Long Beach Millikan, 58-14, in their CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division playoff opener. Matt Viles threw for 117 yards and four touchdown passes, two to Dylan Leener and one each to Jeff Trojan and Alema Atoafa.

Trojan and Wade Houston both had interceptions returned for touchdowns for Edison, which was up, 42-0, midway through the second quarter. Erick Zumwalt and Luke Gane also had interceptions.

Dana Hills should be a much tougher test. The Dolphins were in Week 2, when they led at halftime of what ended up being a 34-17 Edison win. The Dolphins’ two losses this year were to the top two seeds in the Pac-5, Edison and Mission Viejo. Viles set the Edison school record for passing yards in a game (485) in the teams’ first meeting.

“They’re playing well, they’re a good football team and they’re very confident,” Edison Coach Dave White said. “Jordan [Zumwalt] didn’t play in that first game. I think if we don’t turn the ball over and don’t make mental mistakes we should be OK. The kids know you can’t have a slip-up in the playoffs. We’ll be ready to play this week.”

But Edison will be without standout junior defensive end Charles Burks, who suffered a leg injury (cracked fibula) in the opening round. He is in a walking boot but White said he might be able come back in the semifinals, should the Chargers advance.

LAST WEEK

Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks 41, Fountain Valley 24: The Barons suffered their third straight loss, this one a season-ending one, in the opening round of the Pac-5 playoffs at Notre Dame.

Senior Kyle Middlebrooks had a standout game for Fountain Valley (8-3). He ran for 273 yards and three touchdowns. He also provided a spark at the very beginning after the Barons surprised the Knights with an onside kick, Middlebrooks ran for a 50-yard touchdown.

The score was tied at the half but Notre Dame surged ahead. Kenny Boggs had a big night rushing for Notre Dame and Jacob Smith added 103 yards and a score.

“It was a good game,” Fountain Valley Coach John Shipp said. “We had our opportunities. We didn’t get it done defensively but they were a very good football team. My guys, they played until the very end and they battled.

“You don’t want to finish 0-fer in your last three games. You want more because you worked so hard to be successful. But I think the kids learned a lot over the season, learning to get better through adversity. I think there was a lot of growth through that.”