Unbeaten Edison runs over Redmen

MILAN TWP. — Edison got physical and Bellevue had no answer. The Chargers were in total control Friday night in a 41-7 victory over Bellevue in the SBC Bay Division opener for both teams. The last two meetings between Edison and Bellevue were decided by a total of four points with each team winning once. There was no suspense this time as Edison took it to the Redmen. "We told our kids it was a championship game," Edison coach Jim Hall said. "We pounded them all week long with that idea. They came out with great energy and they executed. Obviously we were pretty dang excited with the end result." Edison improved to 6-0 while rushing 43 times for 343 yards. Four different Edison backs scored touchdowns in the first half and the running clock kicked in late in the third quarter after Chargers quarterback Marcus Medina scored on a 10-yard run up the middle. "We saw it on tape. We knew once they get going, they got some guys," Bellevue coach Ed Nasonti said. "They out-physicaled us. You can draw them up till you're blue in the face, but we got hammered at the point of attack. "They got a nice team. No shame in getting beat by a team like that." Edison's triple option offense had Chargers running all over the place — and sometimes over Bellevue would-be tacklers. Cy Finnen led the way with 137 yards on 13 carries. Medina added 82 yards rushing on 14 carries and Bryson Wittmer finished with 74 physical yards on seven attempts. Luke Blatnik carried seven times for 46 yards. "That's how we play," said Finnen. "If we see someone in our way we might as well run them over. We always have someone fresh. If someone is out of breath we put someone new in." Edison wore down Bellevue's defense and scored on all four first-half possessions. "A big part of our scheme is our backs," Hall said. "We feel like we have a bunch of kids who can run with the ball and do some damage. They're physical. They run hard know for us to have success they have to run that way." Edison's defense was equally impressive, holding Bellevue (3-3, 0-1) to 104 total yards. Edison's Abe Hermes intercepted quarterback Ashton Martin on Bellevue's second drive. The Redmen were kept out of the end zone until backup quarterback Ike Brown scored on a 26-yard run with 2:02 to play. Ethan Smith carried 14 times for 38 yards for the Redmen. It was the second straight blowout loss for Bellevue, which fell 49-0 to Perkins last week. The Redmen host Huron next Friday. Edison got on the board first when Blatnik scored on a 6-yard run with 9:25 to play in the first quarter, caping a six-play, 53-yard drive that took just 1:50. Medina scored on a 4-yard keeper at the 4:27 mark to make it 14-0, finishing off a six-play, 62-yard drive. Wittmer capped a nine-play drive and made it 21-0 on a 7-yard run on the first play of the second quarter. Finnen made the halftime score 27-0 with a 1-yard plunge 1:10 before halftime. "We're doing things the right way," Hall said. "The kids love to compete. It's all about getting better. We keep telling them that our best game is still out there." The win set up a huge SBC crossover showdown next week at Perkins, which defeated Clyde on Friday to improve to 5-0. "I really haven't watched them much, to be honest with you," Hall said. "Obviously they're really good and really fast. It'll be a great challenge for us. It's an opportunity to get on the field against a real high-quality opponent." Bellevue 0 0 0 7 — 7Edison 14 13 7 7 — 41 E: Luke Blatnik 6 run (Alex Davidson kick) E: Marcus Medina 4 run (Davidson kick) E: Bryson Wittmer 7 run (Davidson kick) E: Cy Finnen 1 run (kick failed) E: Medina 10 run (Davidson kick) E: Blatnik 5 run (Davidson kick) B: Ike Brown 26 run (Caden Cramer kick)