League races start with epic clash

The start to the 2011 Sunset League football race doesn't get any bigger than this.

Edison and Los Alamitos, two teams considered to be front-runners for the league title, clash Thursday when the Chargers host the defending champion Griffins at 7 p.m. at Huntington Beach High's Sheue Field.

It's also Edison's homecoming game.

"Obviously, it's a huge game," Edison Coach Dave White said. "We've had 13 days to prepare for this and right now, this is the most important part of the season for everyone. League play begins and it's a new start for everyone.

"I think Los Al is the favorite (for the title), but I also think there's a lot of parity in the league and anyone can beat anyone on a given night. Edison or Los Al pretty much has been league champ for the last 10 years and this game, again, is really big. It's big for our pysche, especially after losing tough games to Mater Dei and Servite."

Edison and Los Alamitos have had two weeks to work out gameplans for Thursday's league opener, as both are coming off a bye week. The Chargers are 3-2 and dropped consecutive games to top-ranked Servite and Mater Dei to close out nonleague play. The Griffins enter the game at 4-1. They won their first four games before ending nonleague play Sept. 29 with a 38-27 loss to undefeated and third-ranked Santa Margarita.

Los Alamitos is averaging 46 points per game and has scored no fewer than 21 in a game (21-8 win over West Adams Prep of Los Angeles). The Griffins scored 70 points in a season-opening win over Norwalk (70-14) and twice have scored 56 points in a game.

Edison last played Sept. 30 and lost on the final play to Mater Dei.

"I thought our defense played pretty good throughout the game but our offense did not play well in the first half," White said of the 22-20 loss to the Monarchs. "I was pretty pleased with the way we came back in the second half and took the lead. That showed character, but it was a real tough way to lose.

"I think the key for us against Los Al is to keep turnovers to a minimum and limit the big play. Los Al is a big-play team. Their quarterback (Dylan Lagarde) and a few receivers (Kyle Roberts, Josh Caiquo, Kendall Holmes) are playing real well and No. 5 (Cody Paul) is getting a ton of yards. Defensively, they aren't super big, but they have a lot of speed and like to mix things up and do a lot of attacking. It's definitely a challenge for us."