Corona del Mar football improves to 3-0, as defense sparks win over Edison
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Nolan Scott seemed to be dragging the whole Edison defense with him as he bulldozed toward the goal line after a pass reception.
The Corona del Mar High junior got stopped at the 3-yard line, but it certainly wasn’t for lack of effort.
“I see the end zone there, and I’m just trying to get in, truck it in, dragging people behind me,” Scott said after the game. “I see the end zone and it’s a green light to go.”
CdM coach Kevin Hetting had seen it before, when Scott scored on a similar play in the Sea Kings’ season opener at Lakewood.
A great Scott performed on both sides of the ball Thursday night, as the Sea Kings earned a big road win.
Corona del Mar recorded four interceptions in a 27-7 win over Edison, the Sea Kings’ first victory against the Chargers since 2019.
Scott, Tucker Murray, Hudson Zinone and Zack Cox all had interceptions for the winners, with Zinone taking his back into the end zone for a pick-six. That performance helped ensure CdM (3-0) would be undefeated heading into next Thursday’s Battle of the Bay showdown against Newport Harbor (2-1) at Davidson Field.
Hettig made sure to give ample credit to defensive coordinator Brian Pearsall after the game. The Sea Kings’ secondary of safeties Murray and Henry Birchard, as well as cornerbacks Zinone and Nate Rothman, frustrated the Edison passing attack all night.
“They perform at a high level and they’re always in the right spot,” Hettig said of the defense, adding that it used multiple personnel and multiple fronts. “Most importantly, none of those guys are afraid to try really, really hard and to give their bodies up for each other. There’s not one guy on that defense that has any time of ego … These guys play every snap, all the way through the whistle. They are awesome.”
CdM quarterback John David Annett had both a passing touchdown to JJ Haley and a rushing score. The Sea Kings used two quarterbacks, with fellow junior Luca DiNapoli starting the game.
Hettig said the Sea Kings wanted to go with the hot hand. The first half of Tuesday’s game was a defensive struggle, with CdM holding a 3-0 halftime lead on a 25-yard field goal by Chuck Naylor. An attempt from the same distance just before the break was blocked by Edison’s Ricardo Azernitzky.
The Chargers (1-2) also used two quarterbacks, senior Sam Thomson and sophomore Kellen Hairston. The latter led a scoring drive on the hosts’ first possession of the third quarter. After a CdM three-and-out set Edison up with a short field, Hairston eventually ran it in himself from 2 yards out.
But Annett helped the Sea Kings drive 80 yards on their following drive to recapture the lead. After Scott’s reception, Annett followed up with a 2-yard keeper for a touchdown to give CdM a 10-7 advantage.
Annett, the third brother from his family to play quarterback at CdM after Kaleb and Brady, said Scott’s yards after the catch just showed his character.
“Both sides of the ball, he’s such a maniac when it comes to that stuff,” Annett said. “He just puts his head down and works.”
Two plays later, Zinone intercepted a pass into the flat and was gone, the touchdown giving the Sea Kings a 17-7 lead late in the third quarter.
“I think it was the best defensive performance I’ve seen at CdM, from watching film and everything,” said Scott, who also had a quarterback sack along with teammates Cade Dickerson and Arshan Habibi. “You know, we stick together. They were driving some, the offense gave us some short fields sometimes but we just rallied together and stopped them. Everyone played great.”
Edison got a sack from Dawson Steward and a fumble recovery from Sean Moran. Coach Jeff Grady, whose team also had four turnovers in a 32-28 loss to Pinnacle of Arizona last week, said the Chargers are looking for a spark.
“We need to find something to hang our hat on offensively, try to put something together, try to get some confidence back,” Grady said. “We’ve a good defensive football team, and I truly believe we could be a good football team as a whole. We’ve just got to keep grinding away. Nothing’s going to be handed to us. We have a really tough schedule, and we have to earn it.”
Edison hosts Palos Verdes (3-0) next Friday.
Meanwhile, Corona del Mar will prepare for a Thursday showdown against Newport Harbor, which is coming off a bye.
“They’re going to play us great,” Hettig said. “They’re going to play their best game of the year, and we’ve got to do our thing. We’re looking forward to it. It doesn’t define us one way or another, but we’re looking forward to that game.”
Nonleague
Corona del Mar 27, Edison 7
SCORE BY QUARTERS
CdM 0 - 3 - 14 - 10 — 27
Edison 0 - 0 - 7 - 0 — 7
SECOND QUARTER
CdM — Naylor 25 FG, 7:35.
THIRD QUARTER
E — Hairston 2 run (Bradshaw kick), 5:13.
CdM — Annett 3 run (Naylor kick), 1:55.
CdM — Zinone 15 interception return (Naylor kick), 0:59.
FOURTH QUARTER
CdM — Haley 9 pass from Annett (Naylor kick), 7:42.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
CdM — Kuchera, 6-34; Perisi, 4-30.
E — Dempsen, 10-40.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
CdM — Annett, 12-17-0, 155, 1 TD; DiNapoli, 2-8-1, 14.
E — Thomson, 10-19-1, 69; Hairston, 2-7-3, 13.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
CdM — Scott, 3-88; Haley, 6-82, 1 TD.
E —Dempsen, 3-37.
