Lancers rally late to defeat the Chargers

By OC Tribune Staff on September 6, 2019 • ( Leave a comment )

EDISON’S defense dominated early against Orange Lutheran Friday night but the Lancers rallied in the fourth quarter to win 17-14. Above, Mario Roberts (30) brings down Robert Regan, Jr. (Orange County Tribune photos by Chris Abdelmalek).

By Chris Abdelmalek

Coming off an impressive start to the season so far, the Edison Chargers played host to Trinity League standout Orange Lutheran Lancers Friday night at Sheue Field in Huntington Beach. The Chargers came in with a 2-0 record but hadn’t faced an opponent with the talent of the Lancers. Edison put up a good fight but, in the end, Orange Lutheran was too much as the green-and gold lost, 17-14.

The game started off well for the Chargers as they were able to march down the field in the first quarter to open up the scoring in the game. Standout running back Mike Walters took the ball up the middle for a 25-yard touchdown run to put the home team up early. Coach Jeff Grady had praise for Walters play, “He is just a good player he does a lot of stuff for us,” said Grady. Walters finished the night with 11 rushes for 42 yards.

The rest of the first half was a bit of rockslide for the Chargers. Inconsistency on the offensive side of the ball cost the team two possessions inside the red zone. Both quarterbacks for the Chargers had time behind center in the game. Braeden Boyles took the majority of the snaps in the first half. He did throw one interception in that time. “The pick I threw off my back foot in the red zone, that was just not a good throw, it was a mistake,” said Boyles said.

MIKE WALTERS (2) scores for Edison. He finished with 42 yards rushing.

The other quarterback, Jacob Hanlon, also played in the first half only throwing the ball six times. He also threw a second quarter interception in the red zone that cost the Chargers some vital points in the game.

The second half was shaky for the defense of the Chargers. They allowed the Lancers running back Ethan Howard 4-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter to tie the game up. After that the offense answered back with a quick strike of their own as Boyles threw a beautiful 22-yard touchdown pass to Cole Koffler to retake the lead 14-7.

However, the Lancers would not go down without a fight. Quarterback Logan Gonzalez played stellar tonight for the visiting team. He opened the fourth quarter up with a seven-yard strike to wide receiver Tiger Bachmeier to tie up the game at 14-14. Gonzalez finished the night 12-for-24 for 99 yards and that one touchdown.

Cooper Vander Hill took over the game in the second half, busting out tough run after tough run. He finished the night with 25 rushes for 178 yards and he drained the clock down in the fourth quarter to set up the Lancers to win the game. With 40 seconds left on the clock, Ashton Logan nailed a 29-yard field goal to go ahead 17-14.

Boyles had one last attempt to bring the Chargers to within striking distance to win the game. But a last second interception sealed the game for the Lancers. Boyles finished 8-for-20 for 108 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Grady commented about the loss after the game. “We didn’t make the plays, [and I] need to call a better game.” He also talked about Boyles play as well. “He had a good feel for the game making things happen with his feet when things broke down, he was able to scramble.”

Edison (2-1) hosts San Juan Hills High School (2-1) next Friday, while Orange Lutheran (2-1) will also be at home to Narbonne High School (2-1). Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. kickoffs.

FRIDAY NIGHT SCORES