High school sports

Chargers, Mariners both fall in CIF-SS football semifinals

EDISON and Pacifica lost CIF-SS semifinal games on Friday.
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It was a night of frustration for the two West Orange County teams playing in the CIF-SS football semifinals on Friday.

Both teams lost, but gave a good accounting of themselves.

In a Division 10 contest in Riverside, the Pacifica Mariners’ effort to win the school’s first-ever CIF-SS football title fell short, losing 39-20 to the HIllcrest High Trojans.
The M’s were close in the first half, leading 7-6 early and trailing only by 16-14 at the end of the first quarter and 19-14 at the half.

But the Trojans pulled away after halftime, outscoring the visitors from Orange County by 20-6. Pacifica scored twice on runs, and the last TD for the black, blue and white came late in the third quarter on a 40-yard pass from James Anema to David Carlsson.

The Mariners finished the season with considerable honors: nine wins (9-4 overall), a second consecutive Omicron League title and reaching the final four of the division.

In Divison 3, Edison lost 23-10 to the Palos Verdes Sea Kings on the road (actually at the PVHS stadium) a team they’d bested by one point back in September. The game was close for the first half, with the Chargers trailing only by 10-7 at halftime.

But the Sea Kings outscored Edison 13-3 in the third quarter and the fourth quarter was scoreless, ending the green-and-gold’s season with a 7-6 record, balanced by two playoff wins and a trip to the semifinals.

That’s quite the accomplishment for a team finishing last in the very tough Alpha League
with Mission Viejo, Los Alamitos and San Clemente, a conference second only to the Trinity League, stocked with national powers like Mater Dei.

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