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HUNTINGTON BEACH — Yorba Linda and Edison continued to grow their public school rivalry Thursday by again dueling deep into the fourth quarter.
Once again, the Mustangs rallied to maintain bragging rights.
Isaiah Trujillo rushed for two touchdowns in the final eight minutes, including one set up by a spectacular catch by Troy Roberts, and Blake Thorp led the defense as Yorba Linda defeated Edison 21-17 at Huntington Beach High.
“It’s amazing to beat a great team like that,” said Roberts, who tallied 132 yards from scrimmage. “It just shows how much heart we have and how much we play like a team and when we’re down, we don’t give up.”
In the teams’ first meeting last season, Yorba Linda rallied in the fourth quarter to edge Edison 22-21 on a touchdown catch by Roberts with five seconds left. Edison went on to capture CIF-SS and CIF State titles.
Edison (1-1), ranked No. 7 in Orange County and No. 26 in the state by hsratings.com, threatened in the final 2:12 by driving to the Yorba Linda 14.
On fourth-and-15 with 11 seconds left, Thorp again asserted himself. The senior lineman leaped to deflect a pass to seal the victory for Yorba Linda (2-0), ranked No. 9 in the county and No. 24 in the state.
“It just goes to our conditioning,” said Thorp, who recorded a sack and two tackles for losses. “That’s what really sets us apart.”
Edison struggled with penalties, including a holding call on its final drive that negated a pass completion by Sam Thomson to the Yorba Linda 1.
“Penalties got to us,” said Edison coach Jeff Grady, whose team was flagged seven times for 53 yards. “They made the plays when they needed to.”
“Rivalries go both ways,” the coach added. “This one has gone one way so far.”
Edison led 17-7 going into the fourth period. Yorba Linda responded with an 80-yard scoring drive capped by a 1-yard TD touchdown run by Trujillo with 7:46 left.
Trujillo, a sophomore, scored his third touchdown on a 4-yard run with 2:12 left as Yorba Linda took the lead for good at 21-17.
Roberts sparked the drive on the first play by making a leaping, 45-yard reception over a defender at the Edison 11. Quarterback Noah Trujillo delivered the pass.
“That was shocking,” Thorp said of the grab by Roberts. “They’re side by side. He dives out. I couldn’t believe it.”
Yorba Linda takes 21-17 lead after great catch by @TroyRoberts_4 2:12l left pic.twitter.com/Nop8x2An19
— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) August 29, 2025
Roberts, a junior, finished with two catches for 74 yards and five carries for 58 yards off jet sweeps.
Yorba Linda needed the offensive production from Roberts. Edison held the Mustangs without a first down in the first and third quarters.
“They’re physical,” Yorba Linda coach Jeff Bailey said of Edison. “It was a tough game. I knew it was going to be hard. Our theme was you got to be able to play when it’s hard, and they did.”
Edison used its own big catch to take a 14-7 lead in third quarter. Ayden DeGiacomo found redemption with a 29-yard reception to the Yorba Linda 10, setting up Thomson’s 4-yard TD pass to Samuel Edmisten on a screen.
Later in the third, the Chargers added a 25-yard field goal by Crue Bradshaw. Edison capitalized after stopping Yorba Linda on a fourth-and-3 from the Mustangs 27.
Both teams scored in the final minute of the second quarter to go to intermission tied 7-7.
Trujillo scored on a 6-yard touchdown run with 44 seconds left to cap a 68-yard drive that consumed over seven minutes.
Edison responded quickly as junior Blaise Burwell returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. Burwell joined Chargers after an offseason transfer from Servite.
The special teams score provided a major boost for Edison. Yorba Linda held the Chargers to 98 yards rushing.
The Mustangs limited Edmisten — who broke 100 yards last week against Clovis West — to 34 yards on 12 carries.
Grady said Edison lineman Devyn Blake, who is committed to Sacramento State, was limited to a few snaps because for “precautionary” reasons.
Edison’s Jordan Pelaez recorded an interception early in the second quarter but a sack by Thorp halted the next drive by the Chargers.
Yorba Linda and Edison will face more familiar opponents next week. The Mustangs travel to San Jacinto on Sept 4. The Chargers play host to Lakewood on Sept. 5 at Huntington Beach High.
