When his moment came, Jake Minter made the most of it.
The senior receiver gathered in a 15-yard pass over the middle from quarterback Sam Thomson, turned upfield and sprinted for the goal line, shaking off two defenders before a full-length dive over the pylon for a 54-yard touchdown with 20 seconds left that vaulted Huntington Beach Edison to a 21-14 triumph over Fresno Central in the CIF Division 1-A state championship bowl game Saturday at Saddleback College.
Edison’s defense set up the final score by forcing an incompletion on fourth and seven at the Chargers’ 32-yard line with 56 seconds left, giving the ball back to the offense with one last chance in what had become a stalemate in the second half. The winning drive covered 68 yards in a mere three plays and took only 32 seconds.
“This is a culmination of everything we’ve worked for,” Minter said. “The play call was perfect, I made a couple moves, finished it and scored. It doesn’t feel real … it feels like a dream.”
A sack by defensive lineman Devyn Blake on the Grizzlies’ final possession sealed Central’s fate and when the clock ran out two plays later near midfield, Edison players poured onto the field to celebrate the program’s first state title.
“What a huge accomplishment for our program,” Chargers coach Jeff Grady said. “It was a defensive battle, that’s a terrific team over there and fortunately we found a way to win at the end.”
Each team scored on its first drive. Julius Gillick ended the Chargers’ 16-play, 59-yard march on a one-yard plunge on fourth and goal while Central answered with a 38-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Jelani Dippel to EJ Morgan.
Edison defensive back Will Harrison trips up Fresno Central wide receiver Bayon Harris in the second quarter Saturday.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Gillick’s 14-yard run on a power sweep put Edison back in front 14-7 midway through the second quarter. Central pulled even again when Bayon Harris made a leaping grab in the back of the end zone from five yards out 4:24 before halftime.
Gillick finished with 124 yards in 27 carries and afterward the senior gave credit to God and his offensive line.
“It means everything to win a state championship,” Gillick said. “But I’d be nothing without the guys up front.”
Free safety Gavin Slaughter made an over-the-shoulder interception of a Dippel pass at the Chargers’ three-yard line with 33 seconds left in the first half to keep the score tied at 14-14. Carson Schmidt picked off a Dippel toss at the Edison 42 on the Grizzlies’ first drive of the second half but Central forced a punt.
Edison wide receiver Jake Minter celebrates with teammates after scoring the winning touchdown against Fresno Central on Saturday.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Edison (12-4) gambled when Thomson connected with Aidan Brown for a 21-yard gain on fourth and four with less than 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter but three plays later Xavior Jones intercepted a pass in the end zone for a touchback. The Grizzlies (12-3) moved to the Edison six, but a fourth-down pass was dropped in the end zone with 4:54 left. Dippel finished 17-of-31 passing for 284 yards.
Minter had four receptions for 81 yards and made seven tackles playing cornerback for Edison, making its first state bowl appearance after a thrilling 34-28 triumph over Granite Hills in the regional bowl. The Chargers lost regional games in Division II to Gardena Serra in 2012 and in Division 1-A to San Clemente in 2016.
Central was making its second state bowl appearance, having won Division 1-AA in 2019 with its 34-19 victory over Sierra Canyon at Cerritos College.