Edison Chargers Carve Up Newport Harbor Sailors (2021)

Huntington Beach – ‘Cap’ Sheue Field

Sixteen points in the first quarter was all Edison would need to win their homecoming game (and Sunset League opener) at Cap Sheue Field.

The game started with Newport kicking off to Edison.   The Chargers methodically carved up the Sailors defense with an 82-yard drive. Troy Fletcher capped it off with a 13-yeard scamper into the end zone. The ensuing kickoff put the Sailors on their own 20-yard line.  The Sailors had the ball for only two plays.  Quarterback Nick Kim was sacked both times by Austin Grbic – the second time in the end zone (aided by a botched snap) making it 9-0 Chargers.  After the safety free kick, it took less than another minute for Edison QB Parker Awad to find Tucker Tripp for a 35-yard gain, and then Tyler Hampton for a 15-yard TD pass (a nice one-handed catch).  That made it 16-0 mid way through the first quarter.  The Chargers finished their business and went on to a convincing 50-14 win.

Some notes/observations from the game.  Edison is loaded with talent with the QB (Parker Awad) and receiver corps (Nico Brown, Tyler Hampton, Tucker Tripp and Ashton Hurley). Parker Awad got off to a slow start, missing 4 of his first 5 passes, but then got his rhythm and was *perfect* the rest of the way (missing only once the rest of the game) making a few legitimate D-1 plays with his feet and arm.  We also saw two one-handed end zone grabs (one by Tyler Hampton, one by Nico Brown).  The Chargers football team gave the homecoming crowd a heck of a treat.

Newport Harbor is also loaded with talent, but they have not figured out how to get it going in the right direction.  The Sailors were held to less than 50-yards in the first half and most of their offensive yardage was on Edison penalties.  QB Nick Kim never got comfortable and actually left early in the 3rd quarter.  Starting safety Carson de Avila got a few snaps and senior backup AJ Guitron-Moore finished the game.  de Avila scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter, and Guitron-Moore hit Kashton Henjum on a nice back-of-the-shoulder 15-yard strike for a touchdown in the forth quarter, making up the only two scores of the game for NHHS.

Next week Edison will play Los Alamitos at Memorial Stadium (Westminster HS) in a game that most likely will decide the Sunset League champion for 2021.

Next week Newport Harbor will travel to Fountain Valley in a much-needed easier game for the Sailors after being blown out 94-14 combined in their last two games (losses to JSerra 44-0 and Edison 50-14).