MISSION VIEJO — Tears of joy streaked down the face of Jake Minter from a moment that was almost too good to be true for the Edison football team.
Edison’s offense had largely gone dormant in the second half, but it took just 32 seconds for the Chargers to rewrite the script of what had been a defensive struggle after halftime.
Sam Thomson threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Minter with 20 seconds remaining, the decisive score in a 21-14 victory over Fresno Central in the CIF State Division 1-A final on Saturday at Saddleback College.
Edison’s Jake Minter (17) scores the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter of the CIF State Division 1-A championship game against Fresno Central on Saturday at Saddleback College.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
“It doesn’t feel real,” Minter said in helping the Chargers to their first state title as a program. “It feels like a dream.”
Edison (12-4) took over at its own 32-yard line with 52 seconds left in regulation, having survived a red-zone visit from Central (12-3) that ended with three incompletions from the Chargers’ 6-yard line. An interception by Xavior Jones had wiped away Edison’s lone red-zone trip of the second half.
Thomson, who began the drive with 87 passing yards to his credit, was called upon with an opportunity to win the game late. The Chargers had two timeouts in their pocket, but they would need neither.
The drive began with a throw to star running back Julius Gillick in the flat for a moderate 5-yard gain. Gillick was targeted again for 9 yards, but this time, the clock kept running.
Edison’s Julius Gillick (9) evades a tackle by Fresno Central’s Jareal Albert in the CIF State Division 1-A final.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Thomson’s next pass went to Minter on an inside-breaking route about 15 yards down the field. Minter flew through the defense, outrunning five defenders while also getting a key lead block from Ayden DeGiacomo to traverse the sideline. He stretched the ball out over the right pylon and tumbled into the end zone.
“That was something special,” Gillick said. “He caught the dig coming across. I got an out route, so I’m right underneath it. I’m on the level below. When I seen him catch it, he makes one move, and I just knew. Fifty yards out, I knew. … That was one of the most miraculous plays I’ve ever seen in my life. It was a beautiful thing.”
Edison’s sideline erupted in celebration, the Chargers needing only to defend the length of the field in the waning seconds. A checkdown pass from Jelani Dippel to Brandon Smith saw the clock run out when the tackle was made around midfield.
Edison’s Jake Minter (17) runs after a catch to score the game-winning touchdown of the CIF State Division 1-A final.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
“The whole time, I was wondering if he was going to get there,” Edison coach Jeff Grady said of Minter’s mad dash to the end zone. “… We got a key block from Ayden DeGiacomo, and he just found his way in. I don’t even really know how to describe it. It was just a huge play in the biggest moment.”
Thomson gave the credit to Minter for making a play after the catch. In a physical contest, it was a bit of a chore to chase his teammates down in the end zone.
“I was trying to,” Thomson said. “My back was a little tweaked, so I tried to get over there as fast as I could, celebrate with my guys, and I was praying there was no penalty on the play.”
Edison’s Cooper Cirillo (58) and Devyn Blake (55) celebrate a sack to help secure the win against Fresno Central on Saturday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Gillick finished with 124 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The first capped a 16-play, 59-yard drive to begin the game on a fourth-down, goal-line run. Gillick scurried around the right end of the defense for a 14-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
“It’s something that I got it in my hands, I hoist it up, and my mind’s just blank,” Gillick said of lifting the trophy. “I’m just happy. I haven’t been happy like this in a while.”
Gillick set the single-season rushing record for the Chargers, surpassing Kerwin Bell’s 2,268 yards in 1979 for the most in program history. He finished the season with 2,489 rushing yards.
Edison celebrates winning the CIF State Division 1-A championship game after defeating Fresno Central on Saturday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Central answered both scoring drives through the air. EJ Morgan pulled in a deep pass from Dippel for a 38-yard touchdown. When Bayon Harris committed a drop in an attempt to do the same, he redeemed himself later in the drive when he made a catch in the back of the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown.
Harris’ touchdown reception made the score 14-14 with 4:26 left in the second quarter, and the defenses took command of the game from there.
Gavin Slaughter intercepted another deep shot by Dippel at the 3-yard line in the final minute of the second quarter. Two plays into the third quarter, Carson Schmidt also came up with an interception.
Edison’s Carson Schmidt makes an interception against Fresno Central on Saturday at Saddleback College.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
This is a developing story and will be updated.