Edison finishes perfect summer

Every time the Edison High football team played this summer, it won.

And, while summer results don’t guarantee anything as far as Sunset League titles, it was obvious Coach Dave White was happy after Edison won its “Battle at the Beach” passing tournament Saturday afternoon.

Edison won its host tournament for the third straight year after topping Oaks Christian, 20-6, in the final. The Chargers had topped JSerra in the quarterfinals and Los Alamitos in the semifinals after winning pool-play games against Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, Chaparral of Temecula and La Habra.

“This is probably the best summer we’ve had,” White said. “We’ve just played really well all summer. The kids are mostly seniors, and they have a lot of experience, a lot of confidence.”

Edison, which won the Air Strike passing tournament last month by beating Oaks Christian, 26-0, in the final, has now beaten that squad three times this summer. Oaks Christian is led by quarterback Nick Montana, the son of Hall of Famer Joe Montana.

But Matt Viles isn’t so bad, either. The quarterback led the Edison offense into action again Saturday, while Jeff Trojan, Dylan Lenner and Wade Houston were the top receivers. Mike Rivera has also emerged as a big-play threat, White said.

Trojan and Houston also played defense, which benefited from solid play from Stanford-bound linebacker Jordan Zumwalt, Steve Malone and Shaun McLaughlin. Corners Luke Eddy and Davion Orphey also played well.

All of the aforementioned players, other than Orphey (junior), will be seniors in the fall.

“It was a total team effort,” White said. “It’s just a real experienced team. It was a very great day and a great summer. To go all summer and never lose, it’s almost impossible. It gives them a lot of confidence for this fall.”

Edison begins fall practice Aug. 17. The Chargers’ first game is Sept. 4 against Artesia.