Daily Pilot High School Football Player of the Week: Saffell paves the way for Edison

When you’re as smart as Michael Saffell is at Edison High, you usually have the right answer in the classroom or on the football field.

There was one question the Cal-bound senior had trouble with in August. The question involved the players Saffell lined up next to on the offensive line.

“Our biggest question mark coming in was us having a lot of first-year guys,” said Saffell, who was Edison’s lone lineman with multiple years of starting experience. “I had no idea how this was going to go. Ryan Osterkamp, who’s our left tackle, didn’t even come until after spring. We had to work him in quick. He’s a hockey player, so we didn’t even know if he was going to play. One day he was just there, and Coach [Dave] White was like, ‘Show this guy how to lift.’”

White left it up to Saffell, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound center, to help the newcomer. Saffell, who has a 4.2 grade-point average, hits the weights as hard as he does the books.

Right away, Saffell liked what he saw from Osterkamp.

“He definitely has that hockey-type mentality,” said Saffell, who appreciated the toughness.

That attitude rubbed off on the rest of the linemen, left guard Garrett Weichman, right guard Griffin Kosick and right tackle Josh Hadlock. They’re not the biggest, yet they’ve paved the way to Edison reaching the big stage.

These days, no one is questioning Edison’s lack of experience on the line, as Saffell has anchored the No. 2-seeded Chargers (12-1) to Friday’s CIF Southern Section Division 3 championship game at No. 1 La Mirada (11-2) at 7:30 p.m.

“He’s like a player-coach,” White said of Saffell, the only three-year starter on the team. “He’s always coaching those offensive linemen because they’re all rookies. You can hear him in film. He is one of the best leaders we’ve ever had at this school in 48 years.”

White has seen many leaders during his time at Edison. He graduated from the school in 1974, and began coaching at Edison as an assistant five years later.

This might be White’s final game coaching the Chargers, he’s retiring after the season. He has been with the program for 38 years, 31 of those at the helm.

White’s last leader hopes to send his coach out with his second section title.

“I think it would be the most special thing,” Saffell said. “Everyone at this school adores him. Everyone on the football team loves him. He’s kind of like a father to all of us. It would be an unreal moment to get him that championship for his last season.”

Saffell and company first have to get through a formidable La Mirada program, which is looking to win its second straight section title.

The Chargers will also have to do it without a starting offensive lineman. Saffell said Hadlock suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of last week’s 32-28 come-from-behind win at Moreno Valley Rancho Verde in the semifinals.

Stepping in for Hadlock at right tackle was Matt McEntee. The Chargers first had to overcome the loss of Hadlock, a senior, and two quarters later, a 21-10 deficit.

“That game never felt out of control at any point, even when we were down, 21-10, in the third quarter,” Saffell said. “We told the offensive line before the game that however we play, that will be the outcome of the game.”

For Edison to get back in it, Saffell and the rest of the members of the line had to protect quarterback Griffin O’Connor and open up holes for running back Jack Carmichael. The line executed, including McEntee, a sophomore, as Edison reclaimed the lead at 25-21 in the fourth quarter.

Two years ago as a sophomore, Saffell got his first chance playing for Edison. His situation was a lot different from McEntee’s last week.

“He came in during a much bigger situation than I had to come in, being the semifinals and Coach White’s last year,” Saffell said. “You can let that pressure get to you, but he totally didn’t. He did a great job.

“He was totally prepared. He knew the game plan. He knew all the plays. He knew what to do. He was super calm and focused.”

Calm and focused is how Saffell looked to White when Edison had to drive 71 yards to overcome a 28-25 deficit with 3:45 to go. Saffell then looked into O’Connor’s eyes and told the junior, “I know we can win this game.”

O’Connor, who had thrown for one touchdown, giving him 33 on the season, believed Saffell, his best friend. He took it upon himself to engineer a game-winning drive.

Instead of breaking Edison’s single-season passing touchdown record, O’Connor used his legs to put Edison back in front again, this time for good. O’Connor’s second touchdown run, a seven-yarder with 54 seconds left, proved Saffell was right all along, that the Chargers would prevail.

“This team knows how to win, the team knows how to compete,” Saffell said. “Everyone was calm in that moment and everyone had a sense of urgency, a sense of we can do this.”

Michael Saffell

Born: May 4, 1999

Hometown: Huntington Beach

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 290 pounds

Sport: Football

Year: Senior

Coach: Dave White

Favorite food: Pumpkin pie

Favorite movie: “Inception”

Favorite athletic moment: “Beating Rancho Verde last week.”

Week in review: Saffell helped the Chargers rally to beat Moreno Valley Rancho Verde, 32-28, in the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs.