Edison football falls at top-seeded Rancho Cucamonga in Division 2 opener

It was an inauspicious start for the Edison High football team on Friday night, as the Chargers opened the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs at top-seeded Rancho Cucamonga.

The Cougars’ Trey Wilson returned the opening kickoff 93 yards, then scored on a short run. Edison’s first possession ended quickly deep in its own territory as the quarterback was stripped and the hosts recovered.

Rancho Cucamonga took over in the red zone, and it appeared that the rout could be on.

Not quite. The Edison defense held, then the Chargers tied the score on a 30-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Save Niumata to running back Julius Gillick.

“Our defense made a huge stop there, and we went down and scored, and it’s a new game,” Edison coach Jeff Grady said. “We certainly had our opportunities.”

But Rancho Cucamonga pulled away in the second half, earning a 35-14 victory to end Edison’s season.

Rancho Cucamonga will host Murrieta Valley in the Division 2 quarterfinals.

Edison’s Jacob Martin (2), shown against CdM earlier this season, had three receptions and an interception on defense Friday.

(James Carbone)

Sunset League runner-up Edison (6-5) was down by just a touchdown entering the fourth quarter. But the Chargers were shut out in the second half.

Senior captain Mason York, who caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Niumata just before the intermission to cut Edison’s deficit in half, said he and his teammates left it all on the field.

“This senior class, we had a lot of guys in spots that whenever they get on the field, they just made the most of it,” York said. “We’re one of the hardest-coached teams in the Southern Section, no one’s going to take that away from us. We may have lost, but we know that it wasn’t because of effort. We gave everything we’ve got, just like every other Edison team.”

Wilson scored three touchdowns on the ground for Rancho Cucamonga, including a 27-yard run in the fourth quarter to help ice the game. The Cougars rebounded from a 17-14 upset loss at Upland the week before that cost them a chance at the outright Baseline League title.

Rancho Cucamonga junior quarterback Emiliano Villarreal threw two touchdown passes to senior receiver Jonah Dawson, an Air Force commit.

Rancho Cucamonga boasts a secondary with several future college football players. But Edison was fine mostly keeping the ball on the ground with Gillick, who posted yet another 100-yard game, until the Chargers were forced to pass late.

Gillick, who rushed for 312 yards against Huntington Beach to set the program single-game record, finished Friday night’s game with 24 carries for 117 yards.

“He’s one of the better backs I’ve been around,” Grady said. “He just runs so hard and so physical, and he maintained that for 11 games.”

Junior cornerback Jacob Martin had an interception on defense for Edison, while senior middle linebacker Hoi Hansen flew to the ball and recorded four tackles for a loss.

Edison had its first two games of the season canceled due to the Maui wildfires. But like in Friday night’s contest, the Chargers proved resilient during the season as a whole.

“We’ve come a long way,” Grady said. “We had two early games canceled, and we traveled a lot too. It was fun. A really good group of seniors.”

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CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs

First round

Rancho Cucamonga 35, Edison 14

Edison 7 - 7 - 0 - 0 — 14

Rancho 7 - 14 - 0 - 14 — 35

FIRST QUARTER

RC — Wilson 5 run (Annecchini kick), 11:39.

E — Gillick 30 pass from Niumata (Bammer kick), 1:44.

SECOND QUARTER

RC — Dawson 17 pass from Villarreal (Annecchini kick), 11:18.

RC — Dawson 56 pass from Villarreal (Annecchini kick), 1:13.

E — York 14 pass from Niumata (Bammer kick), 0:08.

FOURTH QUARTER

RC — Wilson 1 run (Annecchini kick), 8:49.

RC — Wilson 27 run (Annecchini kick), 4:08.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

E — Gillick, 24-117.

RC — Wilson, 28-146, 3 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

E — Niumata, 11-23-0, 141, 2 TDs.

RC — Villarreal, 13-17-1, 194, 2 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

E — York, 3-56, 1 TD.

RC — Dawson, 5-107, 2 TDs.