Edison gets Edmisten back, drops playoff rematch to Palos Verdes
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There was some very good news out of Edison’s never-in-doubt defeat to South Bay powerhouse Palos Verdes: Sam Edmisten is back.
The senior running back saw his first real game action since last October in the 28-3 nonleague loss Friday night at Huntington Beach’s ‘Cap’ Sheue Field, and he looked good against a fierce defense that denied the Chargers a touchdown for the first time in head coach Jeff Grady’s 10-year tenure.
Edmisten, sidelined eight and a half months by a knee injury and nearly two more by a blood clot, took the ball on Edison’s first play from scrimmage, ran it 10 times in all, caught two passes, and — on two particular carries — offered a reminder of his vital contributions as Julius Gillick’s backup in the state-title campaign two years ago and as a dual-purpose threat through the first nine games of last year’s run to the CIF Southern Section Division 3 semifinals.
He totaled 64 yards on a dozen touches, had 39 of Edison’s 47 rushing yards, and played the pivotal role in the Chargers’ only points — a Crue Bradshaw field goal three minutes into the second quarter — with four successive runs for 25 yards: the first a 10-yard dance through two layers of defenders to the cusp of the red zone; the last a weaving, 8-yard dash to a first-and-goal at the 7-yard line.
It held little sway. Palos Verdes (4-0), Edison’s foe for the seventh time in six seasons, was in charge throughout and contributed through penalty nearly 40% of the Chargers’ offense en route to its second successive win in the series. The Sea Kings won last year’s semifinal, with Edmisten watching from the sidelines.
“It just feels good to be out there with my teammates and contribute,” Edmisten said. “It was hard staying on the sideline and feeling like I wasn’t doing anything for the team, but I was there supporting them on the side, which that’s all you can ask for. I’m glad to be out with my brothers ... we just got to get back on the grind. We got a lot of things to fix, but I’m confident that we’re going to come back.”
Edison (1-3) faces a tough stretch the rest of the way, heading into the Alpha League wars — against the best public-school competition in Orange County — after wrapping up its pre-league slate Sept. 25 against a consistently strong Fontana Summit program.
The Chargers struggled to move the ball until it was long over, the drive for the field goal aside, and it, too, if not for back-to-back roughing the passer and pass interference calls against Palos Verdes. Penalty flags accounted for seven of the Chargers’ 11 first downs through the first three quarters. Only twice did Edison get inside the Sea Kings’ 40 — on the field-goal drive and to the 33 near the end of the game, on Sam Thomson’s 29-yard completion to Logan Hampton — and immediately turned the ball over the second time.
Thomson threw for 94 yards on 13 of 22 passing, 88 of that in the second half, 50 in the fourth quarter.
The Chargers struggled to corral fourth-year, Nevada-bound quarterback Ryan Rakowski, who completed 11 of 14 throws for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Their defense had fluctuating success against a running game that added 156 yards and two more scores.
“They’re very good,” said Grady, who has won four of seven meetings with Palos Verdes, three in blowouts. “They’re physical, they’re well-coached. They run the ball downhill, and they’re tough to run the ball on. ... [Rakowski] just keeps plays alive — no play’s ever really dead until he either throws it away or you get him.
“They got after us tonight. So I think they’re a well-rounded football team and they got after us tonight. Not going to win too many games scoring three points.”
The last time Edison scored so few, or less, was in a 42-0 loss to Mater Dei a decade ago. The last time against a non-Trinity League team was in the 16-3 defeat to Esperanza in 2008 that forged the five-way Sunset League co-championship and left the Chargers out of the playoffs, the last time that’s occurred.
It was close until midway through the second quarter. Palos Verdes took the lead with three and a half minutes left in the opening quarter, Travis Tomaro running for the first of two touchdowns after a personal-foul penalty on a punt provided a short field, and Edison answered with a 14-play, six-plus-minute drive for Bradshaw’s 24-yard kick.
The Sea Kings made it 14-3 on Rakowski’s 37-yard completion to Jalen Flowers — on a slant in from the right, the last 30 yards a free sprint — and added two fortuitous second-half touchdowns: a 29-yard pass to Aaden Brady that caromed from Edison cornerback Dominic Harrison’s hands, and Rakowski’s pitch, while wrapped up by linebacker Micah Rogers, for Tomaro’s second score.
Edmisten was hurt during an Oct. 24 loss to Mission Viejo last year, rehabbed into summer, and was slated to return on July 4 when “I got a blood clot last minute, and I was out for another two months.” He was cleared two weeks ago and punted in last week’s loss to Corona del Mar. Getting back to full action was a treat.
“It’s good,” he said. “I knew it was going to come at some point. I just had to trust the process. ... I felt pretty confident in myself.”
Grady called Edmisten’s return “a boost to our team” and “hopefully something we can build on.”
Thomson said his return is “big, because he’s great in the passing game and in the running game.”
Nonleague
Palos Verdes 28, Edison 3
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Palos Verdes 7 - 7 - 7 - 7 — 28
Edison 0 - 3 - 0 - 0 — 3
FIRST QUARTER
PV — Tomaro 13 run (Dragin kick), 3:25.
SECOND QUARTER
E — C. Bradshaw 24 FG, 9:08.
PV — Flowers 37 pass from Rakowski (Dragin kick), 4:55.
THIRD QUARTER
PV — Brady 29 pass from Rakowski (Dragin kick), 1:38.
FOURTH QUARTER
PV — Tomaro 12 run (Dragin kick), 8:14.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
PV — C. Reis, 12-86; Tomaro, 4-36, 2 TDs; Muñoz, 6-28; Rakowski, 3-6.
E — Edmisten, 10-39; Dempsen, 4-14; DeGiacomo, 2-8; Thomson, 5-(-14).
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
PV — Rakowski, 14-17-0, 212, 2 TDs; Beavers, 1-1-0, 11.
E — Thomson, 13-22-0, 94.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
PV — Brady, 6-92, 1 TD; Flowers, 5-82, 1 TD; Reese, 2-30; C. Reis, 1-13; A. Robles, 1-6.
E — Hampton, 3-40; Edmisten, 2-17; Pierce, 2-14; Sunga, 2-9; DeGiacomo, 2-6; Vares, 1-9.
