NORWALK – Sometimes it does not look like it. But Servite really does have set plays.
Servite quarterback Travis Waller improvised his way to 327 passing yards and four touchdown passes as the Friars beat Edison, 42-21, Friday in a nonleague matchup of top-10 teams at Cerritos College.
Waller’s late-game creativity sparked a heated postgame exchange between the Edison and Servite coaching staffs. Servite coach AJ Gass said Waller, sitting on a 21-point lead in the final moments, audibled some run calls into passing plays. That made it look like the Friars were trying to run up the score.
Edison coach Dave White heard a Servite assistant coach tell White that White “can’t coach.”
A Servite assistant coach was pulled away from the mid-field gathering by other Servite personnel. Gass said the postgame disagreement was a misunderstanding.
As for the game, Servite improved to 3-1. The Friars, ranked No. 2 in Orange County and No. 4 in California, next Saturday plays De La Salle of Concord. De La Salle is No. 2, behind St. John Bosco, in the CalHiSports.com state top 25. Edison, 3-1 and No. 8 in Orange County, plays the second half of its annual Trinity team challenge next Friday when the Chargers play Mater Dei at OCC.
Waller, a senior who committed to Oregon, completed 20 of 28 passes. Several completions happened when Waller was flushed out of the pocket, ran this way and that way before launching the ball to an open teammate.
“The concept kind of breaks down, and Coach Gass says that’s the time to make things happen,” Waller explained. “I’m trying to trust my arm more than my legs this season.”
Often a productive runner, too, Waller carried just six times for 35 yards.
Servite receiver Terrell Bynum had touchdown receptions of 3 and 50 yards. Equanimeous St. Brown had seven catches for 83 yards and a touchdown, and his younger brother, Osiris St. Brown, scored on a 22-yard pass play on which he did a leg-splits leap over an Edison defender.
The Friars’ Tate Beachley rushed for 117 yards, 78 of them on a touchdown run.
Edison senior quarterback Matt Gane threw two touchdown passes and ran for another. He rushed for 69 yards on 11 carries and compiled 159 passing yards. Jake Favreau had five receptions for 43 yards and a score, and Jacob Marines rushed for 107 yards.
It was 14-14 at half. The TDs by Osiris St. Brown and Beachley on back-to-back possessions gave Servite a 28-14 lead.
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
