GAME RECAP: Oilers fall to Edison in Battle for the Beach Round 1 Showdown
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
7 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 19 |
|
|
14 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
Team Stats
Edison
| Game Statistics | Huntington Beach | Edison |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 202 | 220 |
| Rushing Yards | 48 | 51 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of Poss. | 23:02 | 24:58 |
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA- It was a packed house at Cap Sheue Field Friday night as Edison hosted Huntington Beach in Round 1 of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 Playoffs. The longtime cross-town rivals met for the first time since 2023 in what turned into another hard-fought Battle for the Beach, with the Chargers coming away with a 31–19 win to advance to the quarterfinals.
Edison struck first midway through the opening quarter when Sam Thomson connected with Matthew Auau for a 42-yard touchdown to make it 7–0. Huntington Beach responded minutes later as Steel Kurtz hit Troy Foster on a 21-yard touchdown to even it up at 7–7.
The Chargers regained the lead late in the first when Sean Moran caught a 14-yard touchdown from Thomson to make it 14–7, and added to it in the second when Maddox Thomas hauled in a 7-yard touchdown to go up 21–7. Huntington Beach answered with a strong 11-play, 51-yard drive capped off by Brady Edmunds finding Jimmel Champion from 15 yards out to cut it to 21–14 with 23 seconds left in the half, but Edison would tack on a Crue Bradshaw 42-yard field goal as time expired to make it 24–14 at halftime.
The Oilers opened the third quarter with a 16-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Jason Dunham 28-yard field goal to bring it to 24–17. The defense followed that up with a safety late in the third to pull within 24–19 and shift the momentum, but Edison responded early in the fourth with a 9-play, 45-yard drive ending in a Thomas 5-yard rushing touchdown to make it 31–19, which would hold as the final.
Brady Edmunds went 23-of-39 for 181 yards and one touchdown, while Steel Kurtz added a 21-yard touchdown pass. Troy Foster closed out his Oiler career with 14 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, while Champion added 29 yards and a score.
Gavin Seguin led the defense with seven tackles, while Maxx Hopkins and Dylan Cunningham each finished with six. Jimmel Champion forced and recovered a fumble, and Evan Scruggs added another recovery.
For Edison, Thomson finished 14-of-18 for 220 yards and three touchdowns, with Auau catching eight passes for 149 yards and a score. Thomas totaled 41 rushing yards and two total touchdowns on the night.
Huntington Beach finishes the 2025 season 8–3 overall — its best mark since 2011 — and earned the Epsilon League's No. 2 playoff berth in Head Coach Matthew Hatchette's first season leading the program, marking his first playoff appearance as a head coach.
