Independent Player of the Week

Mike Sciacca

Richard Schwartz has found his groove.

It started for Edison High’s quarterback two weeks ago in a 35-33

victory over the Servite Friars, but the senior really took flight last

Friday in the Chargers’ 28-10 victory over rival Huntington Beach.

With pinpoint accuracy and sharp spirals, Schwartz completed 12 of 15

pass attempts for 264 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Edison won its

Sunset League opener.

Was it his best effort of the season?

“I’d say it was, by far,” the Independent’s Player of the Week said.

“I just felt like everything has been coming together these past two

games.”

Schwartz says his view on game nights has cleared since a 42-10 loss

to top-ranked Mater Dei on Sept. 29.

“I was trying to do too much in that Mater Dei game,” Schwartz said.

“I was trying to run a lot of things on offense and I learned a lesson.

What I need to do is just concentrate on my aspect of the game and let

the rest of our offense do their thing. Since that game, I’ve been

relaxing a lot more.”

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound signal caller, who has made a verbal

commitment to attend UC Berkeley next year, has thrown a pair of

touchdown passes in each of the last two weeks and, more importantly,

hasn’t thrown an interception.

With the seventh game of the regular season unfolding tonight,

Schwartz is nearing the 1,000-yard mark in passing yardage as the

Chargers prepare for a big showdown with Los Alamitos.

In six games, Schwartz has thrown for 989 yards with nine touchdowns

and only two interceptions.

Although he was blessed with athletic ability and a strong arm,

Schwartz is the first to admit that he has the luxury of throwing to a

talented group of receivers.

“My goal is simple: get them the ball and then let them run downfield

and do their thing,” he said of a receiving corps that includes Christian

Prelle, Denny Flanagan, Marcus McCutcheon and running back Darryl Poston.

“If I’m able to get them the ball, I know big things can happen.”

The two-year varsity starter has been a fixture at quarterback since

he began playing the game in first grade, continuing through Huntington

Beach Pop Warner Football.

“I think the mark of a successful quarterback is his ability to lead

his team to victory,” he said. “The stats are nice and all, but what it

comes down to is how successful you are in leading your team to possible

victory.

“It’s fun to play quarterback at Edison. The school has a great

quarterback tradition to live up to and I’m thankful to be able to get

that chance.”