MIKE WALTERS (2) scores one of his touchdowns as Edison defeated Huntington Beach in a Sunset League game Friday night (Orange County Tribune photos by Christopher Abdelmalek).

By Christopher Abdelmalek

Edison and Huntington Beach high school football teams have been rivals for a long time, but the balance between them has tipped toward the Chargers in recent years.

However, the Oilers have made up a lot of ground since last year’s 63-0 loss, as proved by Friday’s 20-14 victory by Edison in a Sunset League contest at Cap Scheue Field.

The orange-and-black came in with a 5-1 record while the green-and-gold was 2-4, but Edison was still the favorite.

“We grinded all week,” said Oiler coach Brett Brown before the game. “We prepared for this one and we want to come out and show them we can play.”

The Oilers did play well, holding a 14-13 edge until the Chargers pulled it out with the winning score on a 5-yard scramble by Isaiah Palmer midway through the fourth quarter.

ISAIAH PALMER (6) scored the winning touchdown for Edison Friday night.

HBHS jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first quarter as the Oilers got a 15-yard scoring pass from quarterback Brandon Cannella to Christian Moore, and Arick McLawyer ran for a two-point conversion.

McLawyer came into the contest averaging 120 yards a game, but the Chargers concentrated on keeping him from running wild.

“He’s a good football player and that was the key, which we did pretty good for the most part,” said Edison coach Jeff Grady.

Edison regained the lead in the second quarter as running backs Kobe Lopez and Mike Walters excelled. Lopez had 180-plus yards rushing for the night and Walters scored two touchdowns from the wildcat formation.

Huntington’s defense kept it the team in the game, picking off two passes. Jeremiah Flanagan got one interception, and then grabbed a 35-yard pass from Cannella to give the Oilers a 14-13 lead late in the third quarter.

Edison, now 3-4 overall and 1-1 in Sunset play, will take on Newport Harbor (3-3-1, 0-2) next Friday. Huntington Beach (5-2, 1-1) will meet Fountain Valley (4-3, 0-2), also on Friday.