HUNTINGTON BEACH — The Edison football team, historically one of Orange County’s better teams, wasn’t off to a good start this season.
But the Chargers appear to be heading back in the right direction after their 41-7 victory over Palos Verdes in a nonleague game Friday at Huntington Beach High School.
The Chargers (2-2), who had started the season 0-2, were in control from the outset, mostly because of running back Julius Gillick and quarterback Savelio Niumata, along with a defense that kept pressure on Sea Kings sophomore quarterback Ryan Rakowski the entire game.
Rakowski threw for 1,866 yards last season and had thrown for 561 yards and four touchdowns through three games this season prior to Friday’s contest.
The Chargers held the junior quarterback to 77 yards and one touchdown on seven attempts.
Matt Lopez and Conrad Berrera teamed up on a sack on the Sea Kings first possession and Jordan Pelaez sacked Rakowski on their second possession.
“I’m just proud of how our guys played,” Edison coach Jeff Grady said, “proud of how we practiced during the week, and I’m proud of how they came out and executed and we were physical on both sides of the ball.”
Gillick rushed for 216 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries but it was the manner in which the 210-pound senior halfback gained those yards that made his performance notable.
Gillick almost never went down on initial contact and plowed over defenders for big gains on several plays.
On a third-and-2 play in the second quarter, Palos Verdes defenders had Gillick wrapped up and were about to tackle him for a loss, but instead Gillick broke free and raced up the middle for a 51yard touchdown, making the score 21-0.
“And he just made a play,” Grady said of the run. “And he did that last week too. He’s done it each week where we’ve missed some key blocks and he just made the play.”
Gillick added a 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that gave the Chargers a 34-7 lead and took away any chance of a comeback for the Sea Kings (2-2).
On the Chargers’ first possession of the game, Gillick’s 45-yard run on first down set up a 3-yard touchdown run from Niumata on the next play to give Edison a 7-0 lead.
On the Chargers’ next possession, Niumata connected with Jacob Martin for a 33-yard score.
Niumata’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Carson Schmidt in the second quarter gave Edison a 27-7 at halftime.
“Overall, I like being able to run, throw, and catch the defense off guard,” Niumata said. “One minute I’m handing off, one minute I’m running, the next minute I’m throwing. So, it really keeps defenses on their heels. And that’s really, that was my end goal. And now I feel like I’ve gotten pretty good at it, but I still have a lot more to work on.”
