Matt’s Musings:

Jordan Zumwalt was one of the first players to greet me as I made my way onto the field at Cal State Fullerton Friday night.

He walked up to me, which is the opposite of the way it usually works. Typically, as a reporter, I walk up to the players to ask questions, not the other way around.

But Zumwalt, the 6-foot-4, 218-pound senior linebacker, wasn’t looking for an interview for himself this night. His top-ranked Edison High football team had just breezed by its rival, Fountain Valley, by a final score of 24-0, but Zumwalt didn’t have too much to say. As a matter of fact, he had advice.

“You should interview the offensive line tonight,” said Zumwalt, who has committed to Stanford but is still being actively recruited by programs like USC. “They never get any of the credit.”

I’m a big guy myself but I wasn’t about to say no to Zumwalt. I didn’t want him to tackle me like he had done to countless Barons during the Battle for the Bell.

And he was right. Offensive linemen don’t typically bask in the limelight, but it was hard to deny the impact players like Kyle Finney, Sam Saultz, Roman Sapolu, Calvin Hollingsworth, Christian Magnusen and Luke Gane had on the game. Namely, they opened holes for players like junior tailback Davion Orphey, who himself had a breakout game with 122 yards and two touchdowns.

Just ask Orphey himself.

“The O-line played excellent,” Orphey said. “They’ve been doing that all year. Their line couldn’t do anything.”

They were still relatively anonymous after I tracked them down. We opted for a group interview, which was fine with them.

“The one great thing about our team, our O-line is no one blames anything on each other,” Saultz said. “We’re all family. We’re a brotherhood.”

But the scary thing was that there were so many other strengths for Edison, which is why it’s considered a favorite to win the Pac-5 Division. Few thought the Chargers could shut out Fountain Valley, which came into the game averaging nearly 40 points per game, yet junior defensive end Charles Burks was chasing Barons quarterback Dominic Ragland all night.

Then there are the linebackers, who include Zumwalt, Stephen Malone and Shaun McLaughlin, who is known for his big hits but also had his second straight game with an interception. Combined, the trio averages nearly 36 tackles a game.

Then there’s senior kicker Markus Trujillo, who shrugged off an early field-goal miss to convert three more. And I haven’t even mentioned the passing game, which features senior quarterback Matt Viles and his numerous weapons led by Jeff Trojan, Michael Rivera, Dylan Leener and Luke Eddy.

To be sure, the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division playoffs will be tough. Of the teams ranked in the top 10, Edison has already beaten Servite, Dana Hills, Fountain Valley and Los Al.

That leaves Mission Viejo (9-0), Notre Dame (8-1), Lakewood (8-1), Bishop Amat (8-1) and Crespi (5-4), possible new teams to face with new challenges. But for now, Edison rolls on.

“You know, it’s just a great win,” Coach Dave White said after beating Fountain Valley. “I’m just proud of these kids.”

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or at [email protected].