Edison football tops Newport Harbor in Sunset League opener
The comeback was on for Newport Harbor.
In the third quarter, down 34-7, the Sailors recovered an onside kick to start the half and began to drive. But then, junior quarterback Nick Kim was hit, the ball popped loose and Edison’s Austin Grbic pounced, scooping up the ball and carrying it 62 yards to the end zone for a 41-7 lead.
“Defensive scores change games,” Edison head coach Jeff Grady said. “And it changed momentum because they were driving the football and the onside kick gave momentum swinging their way. The fumble recovery for a touchdown can be a backbreaker.”
The touchdown halted the Newport Harbor comeback as the Chargers routed the Sailors 47-14 in a Sunset League opener Thursday at Cap Sheue Field in Huntington Beach.
“I just felt like we came out and started fast again,” Grady said. “Kept the pedal down. Really efficient on offense and just was exciting. The guys up front — solid pass protection. A few opportunities for the run game and took advantage.”
The Chargers played aggressively on offense throughout the game, coming out with deep pass attempts by senior quarterback Braeden Boyles. In the first half, Edison (2-0, 1-0 in league) had five completions over 20 yards, four of which were over 35 yards, including junior wide receiver Tyler Hampton’s 38-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Hampton scored two first-half touchdowns on his three receptions, including a 14-yard touchdown pass on fourth down after Boyles fooled the Newport Harbor defense with a fake handoff.
While Hampton scored a pair of touchdowns, Boyles’ main target, junior receiver Nico Brown, led the way with six receptions totaling 111 yards and one touchdown.
“You can kind of see he’s explosive,” Grady said of Brown. “When he gets the ball, he’s dangerous.”
Boyles put on such a show in the first half that he didn’t attempt a pass for the rest of the game, not returning to the field for the fourth quarter. Grady gave his quarterback and offense simple instructions as they turned on the air raid.
“Just take what their people give you, not to overcomplicate it or oversimplify it, either,” he said. “Take what they give you.”
Going 13 for 21 on passing attempts, Boyles racked up 240 yards and three touchdowns.
“Boyles and our receivers have it like that,” senior running back Mateo Liau said, pointing his index finger to his head. “It’s great.”
Liau was a star for the Chargers, scoring three rushing touchdowns on eight carries. In the fourth quarter, Liau carried it 34 yards, breaking off two tackles before reaching for the end zone.
Unfortunately for Liau, he was a yard shy, but he subsequently punched in the one-yard touchdown to complete his hat trick and put the icing on the cake for a 47-14 Edison lead.
“It’s great, put in the force like that, it’s everything I worked for,” Liau said of the 34-yard set-up run. “The lifting, the speed training, that’s what it’s for.”
The Edison run game proved key with the Chargers going the entirety of the second half without a completed pass. Senior running back Carson Chalabian took a majority of the carries in the second half, breaking off a 46-yard run to start and finishing with 67 yards on seven carries.
“If we can be balanced and throw the ball effectively, it puts a lot of stress on defenses,” Grady said.
Defensively, the Chargers proved too much for Kim and Newport Harbor (1-1, 0-1). Kim threw for 276 yards on 25 of 36 passing with two interceptions. His offensive line couldn’t handle the pressure from the Edison defense, as Kim was sacked on four occasions for a total of 26 yards.
Newport Harbor running back Justin McCoy had a tough time breaking through the Edison defensive line, but managed an 11-yard touchdown as he picked up 78 yards on 18 carries.
“They were flying around,” Grady said of his defense.
Newport Harbor will try to bounce back when it takes on Fountain Valley on March 26, while Edison will look to stay undefeated when it travels to play Los Alamitos.
Sunset League
Edison 47, Newport Harbor 14
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Edison 14 – 20 – 7 – 6 – 47
Newport Harbor 7 – 0 – 7 – 0 – 14
FIRST QUARTER
E – Brown 2 pass from Boyles (Holmes kick), 7:18.
E – Hampton 38 pass from Boyles (Holmes kick), 4:31.
NH – McCoy 11 run (Tankersley kick), 1:26
SECOND QUARTER
E – Liau 2 run (Holmes kick blocked), 11:32.
E – Hampton 14 pass from Boyles (Holmes kick), 2:52.
E – Liau 5 run (Holmes kick), 1:25.
THIRD QUARTER
E – A. Grbic 62 fumble recovery (Holmes kick), 9:24.
NH – Henjum 21 pass from Kim (Tankersley kick), 5:26.
FOURTH QUARTER
E – Liau 1 run (Holmes kick fail), 10:14.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
E – Liau, 8-41, 3 TDs
NH – McCoy, 18-78, 1 TD.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
E – Boyles , 13-21-1, 240, 3 TDs.
NH – Kim, 25-36-2, 276, 1 TD.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
E – Brown, 6-111, 1 TD.
NH – Henjum, 9-109, 1TD.
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