Edison upsets top-seeded Bellevue, 23-22

BELLEVUE — A 16 seed can't beat a No. 1 seed. That's what everybody says. Edison wasn't buying it. The Chargers' triple-option offense worked to perfection Friday night and Edison's defense rose to the occasion when it had to, keying a 23-22 upset of Bellevue in a first-round Division IV, Region 14 playoff game at First National Bank Field. The Chargers ran the football 54 times for 279 yards and converted on fourth-down plays on their first three scoring drives to frustrate the Redmen, who finished with an 8-3 record. "After we found out we were matched with Bellevue we thought we had a chance," Edison fullback Hunter Cassel said. "We knew they were going to come out and think they were gonna steamroll us and it didn't go that way." It did not. Edison's defense forced a three-and-out on the game's first offensive series and the Chargers, who lost 21-14 at Bellevue in Week 2, played with the lead for most of the game. Five different Edison players carried eight times or more. Cole Weilnau led the way with 79 yards on seven carries, including a 51-yard sprint that set up the Chargers' second score. Quarterback Marcus Medina carried nine times for 62 yards, Hunter Conley carried 10 times for 57 yards and the fullback duo of Cassel (13 for 48) and Clint Finnen (14 for 33) did damage up the middle. Edison (6-5) stayed ahead of the chains and this statistics was significant: The Chargers did not have one negative play on offense the entire game. "A heckuva group of guys," Edison coach Jim Hall said of his offensive line. "I love the physical way they played." The Chargers' five starters up front are all seniors: Cam Smith, Jake Thompson, Keegan Smith, Noah Smith and Gabe Rang. Cassel's 1-yard touchdown run with 7:49 to play gave the Chargers a 23-14 lead and they could feel it. "I started giving the linemen hugs," Cassel said. "We were all so happy." Bellevue gave itself a chance by driving 96 yards as the clock ticked way. Deegan Horn's 9-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Ray with 1:12 to play, and Horn's 2-point conversion, cut the Chargers' lead to a point. Edison senior Hayden Fox sealed the victory by recovering Bellevue's onside kick. Horn kept Bellevue in contention with 251 yards rushing on 30 attempts. He added 50 yards passing. The Chargers threw only one pass and it was incomplete. They were content to run fullback power, pitch to halfbacks and let Medina keep it. It worked. "With what we're doing on offense we're thinking four downs to get 10 yards a lot," Hall said. "It is a roll of the dice." A back-and-forth first half ended tied at 14-14. After Medina broke up a third-down pass to force a Bellevue three-and-out to open the game, Edison drove 60 yards on 12 plays, scoring on Medina's 19-yard run. Bellevue allowed only six first-quarter points the entire regular season. Edison converted twice on third-down runs on the series and Finnen got two yards on fourth-and-1 from the Bellevue 27 to keep the drive alive. Bellevue's next drive was stopped when Edison's Weilnau made a nice open-field tackle after Tyler Ray caught a swing pass and gained six yards on fourth-and-7 deep in Chargers territory. After Bellevue forced a three-and-out, Horn sprinted 41 yards around the right end for a touchdown. His 2-point run gave the Redmen a short-lived 8-7 lead. Edison responded by going 73 yards on 10 plays, regaining the lead on Finnen's 1-yard touchdown run. Conley kept the drive alive by picking up a yard on fourth-and-1 from the Bellevue 4. Bellevue made it 14-14 by going 65 yards on 13 carries to end the half. Horn gained 13 yards on fourth-and-3 from the Edison 16 and scored on a 2-yard run two plays later. Edison's offense kept Bellevue off the field for most of the second half and did its part to contribute to the upset. The Chargers' first penalty of the game stalled a promising drive inside the Bellevue 5-yard line in the third quarter, but Medina scrambled for seven big yards on third-and-goal from the 18 to set up Nick Strecker for a 28-yard field goal that gave Edison a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Afterward, a happy bunch of Chargers huddled and said, hey, why not us? "This is the way I envisioned this team playing," Hall said. "We've been saying for weeks that we could play the way we played tonight." Edison 7 7 3 6 — 23Bellevue 0 14 0 8 — 22 E — Marcus Medina 19 run (Nick Strecker kick) B — Deegan Horn 41 run (Horn run) E — Clint Finnen 1 run (Strecker kick) B — Horn 2 run (run failed) E — Strecker 28 field goal E — Hunter Cassel 1 run (pass failed) B — Tyler Ray 9 pass from Horn (Horn run) GALLERY: [Album Placeholder (use source code to remove)]