Archrivals collide

The Battle for the Bell. Just the moniker alone that christens this huge game revs up players, students and fans alike at Edison and Fountain Valley like no other can.

But while the annual football battle between the two archrivals is a spectacle in itself, traditionally drawing overflow crowds at Orange Coast College’s LeBard Stadium, this year’s game — the 41st between the schools — has greater implications than perhaps any other meeting this decade.

When Fountain Valley rallied to shock previously undefeated Los Alamitos last week, and Newport Harbor that same night crushed Esperanza to hand the Aztecs their first league loss, those two results set in motion a mad scramble at the top of the Sunset League heap.

Entering this week’s action, and with only next week left on the regular-season schedule, Fountain Valley, Edison, Los Al and Esperanza are tied for first place at 2-1.

Newport Harbor is a game back at 1-2, while Marina comes in at 0-3.

At 7 p.m. Friday, again before what is certain to be a standing-room-only, jacked-up crowd at LeBard Stadium, the Chargers and Barons will fight to see who retains no worse than a share of the Sunset lead.

Either Los Al or Esperanza will also fall from a share of first place after the two settle their debate Friday when they meet at Valencia High.

Edison leads the all-time series against the Barons, 25-14-1. The Chargers have won the last three games in the rivalry and are 6-2 against Fountain Valley this decade. The Barons had won five straight leading up to the 2000 season.

Both teams enter Friday’s game with an overall record of 6-2. The Chargers are ranked sixth in the Pac-5 Division but the Barons, despite beating then-No. 3 Los Alamitos and Newport Harbor two weeks ago, are not in the top 10.

“It’s just a fun game that gets both schools and communities excited,� said Edison Coach Dave White, who has experienced the game as both an Edison player and coach. “Everyone comes out for this one and OCC is a great venue for the game.

“In most years, this game has meant more than ‘The Bell.’ This week’s game is back to that form and the winner of our game takes a huge step toward the playoffs and a league championship.�

Fountain Valley Coach John Shipp agrees.

“It’s great to be in this position, with a possible league championship on the line,� he said. “We’re really looking forward to Friday’s game. We’ve been telling the kids to not get caught up in the hype, and there’s plenty of that this week. We’ve reminded them that we have goals, an agenda to keep in mind, and getting a win Friday is part of that.�

The Barons come into the game on a roll and playing with plenty of confidence after staging second-half rallies the last two weeks to stun Newport Harbor and Los Alamitos. In last week’s 21-14 overtime win over Los Al, Fountain Valley fought back from a 14-0 halftime deficit. The recovery of an onside kick to start the second half infused the Barons with a much-needed boost. They then went out and controlled the ball most of the third quarter to mount their comeback.

Artie O’Keefe caught a 30-yard pass from Dominic Ragland for the Barons’ first touchdown and Kyle Middlebrooks, who has rushed for 1,273 yards and is averaging 8.5 yards per rush this year, scored the final two touchdowns on a pair of short runs, as Fountain Valley beat Los Al for the first time since a fog-shrouded victory in 2003.

Two weeks ago, the Barons came back from eight points down in the fourth quarter to pull out a last-second, 22-21 win over Newport Harbor. They weren’t as fortunate, however, in their league opener Oct. 16 when they were edged, 17-14, by Esperanza.

“By all accounts, that Esperanza loss was really tough on our team,� Shipp said. “But the way our guys have played, have battled the past two weeks against Newport and Los Al, speaks volumes about these kids and their willingness to compete and never give up. We’ve got a great group of kids here.�

Last week, Edison bounced back from a tough loss to Los Alamitos to defeat Marina. Behind an offense that was firing on all cylinders and a defense that didn’t yield a point until the second half, the Chargers posted a 55-14 victory to win their ninth straight game over the Vikings.

The Chargers ran just 44 plays, but they went for a whopping 589 yards — 311 through the air and 278 more on the ground. They did it, too, without two key offensive threats: receiver Jeff Crissman (ankle injury) and running back Preston Spence (knee). White said that both starters are questionable for Friday.

“I think we had one of the all-time highs, in that regard,� Edison Coach Dave White said of the offensive output in a minimal effort. “That probably is the most yards per play our program has ever had. It was great, too, in that everyone got to play.

“There were a lot of good things happening, obviously, and it was nice to rebound from that tough loss to Los Al.�

Quarterback Matt Viles completed 13 of 17 passes for 261 yards. His back-up, Stephen Andrew, had one completion but it went for 50 yards and a touchdown late in the third quarter to Michael Rivera. Rivera had three TD receptions and had six catches, for a total of 177 yards. The Chargers’ rushing attack saw Davion Orphey gain 119 yards and score three touchdowns on 11 carries and Wade Houston run for 109 yards and a pair of scores on just nine carries.

Viles has thrown for 1,753 yards and 17 touchdowns in eight games, completing 61.5% of his passes.

Bryce Brantley, an Edison team captain who starts at left tackle and on the defensive line, knows what’s riding on the outcome of Friday’s game.

Brantley started his first rivalry game under the lights at LeBard Stadium last year in a game won by the Chargers.

“It’s a huge rivalry and a huge game for both teams,� the senior said. “All the fans come out and there’s a lot of emotion wrapped up in this game. Plus, we’re friends with a lot of guys from Fountain Valley and that makes it fun. We’re really pumped up for this game.�