Chargers ease past Esperanza

PLACENTIA — One of the centers of attention coming into Friday’s Sunset League opener was the center himself.

Edison High senior center Roman Sapolu was out with a foot injury, so the Chargers turned to senior Kris Bonham, who hadn’t played the position in three years and is usually on the defensive line.

Esperanza probably couldn’t tell the difference, the way Bonham stepped in and performed. But what the Aztecs probably could tell after Edison’s 34-10 win at Valencia High is why the Chargers, the top-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division poll, are considered favorites to win their fifth straight league title.

That grittiness is one of the reasons.

“[Bonham] had one day of practice at center,� Edison Coach Dave White said. “That’s kind of what we’ve been all year. We’re beat up, banged up, but they keep chugging along. I’m proud of them; they’re great kids and they’ve worked real hard to get to this point.�

Edison (6-0), ranked No. 5 in the state by Calhisports.com, jumped ahead early against Esperanza (3-3). The Chargers led 20-10 at halftime as senior quarterback Matt Viles connected on touchdown passes to Michael Rivera and Luke Eddy and senior kicker Markus Trujillo had two field goals.

But defense led to offense in the second half, when senior Shaun McLaughlin blocked an Esperanza punt midway through the third quarter. The ball popped up into the air and was grabbed by junior Roland Blackiston, who advanced it to the Esperanza 12.

On the next play, Viles had his second touchdown pass to Rivera, finding him open near the back-right corner of the end zone. Viles capped the scoring with 7:37 left in the game, when he found junior Davion Orphey on a screen pass. Orphey did the rest, breezing past several defenders near midfield for a 63-yard touchdown.

Viles had 292 yards and four touchdowns. Orphey had 168 total yards, 96 of those on the ground in the first half.

“He’s an electrifying kid,� White said. “I probably should have given him the ball more against Mater Dei. [Senior running back] Wade Houston is kind of beat up too, so we’re just going to keep having the team attitude. Everybody’s been great about that. The receivers, the running backs, they all have a great attitude; they just want to win. There’s only one ball, and I feel like we have five guys that are capable of making a big play every play, but there’s only one ball.�

Defensively, Edison’s only touchdown allowed came when a snap sailed over the punter’s head, and Esperanza recovered the ball at the Chargers’ one-yard line. Esperanza’s Mike Manibusan then rumbled in, but that was one of the few offensive highlights for the Aztecs, another being senior quarterback Drew Huusfeldt’s long run in the first half.

The Chargers intercepted Huusfeldt twice in the second half, one each by Steven Malone and Eddy. Malone returned his interception for a touchdown, but it was called back due to holding.

“We pretty much lit it up,� Eddy said. “We played assignment football, and we stayed disciplined. That’s how we stopped them. We stayed in our gaps, we played assignments, and we tackled well.�

Edison plays at Newport Harbor (4-2, 1-0) Friday night. The Sailors upset Los Alamitos, 23-20, in their league opener on a late touchdown pass.