No. 2 Servite doesn't let this one get away

NORWALK- Servite finished strong this time.

A week after stumbling late in a one-point loss at Crespi of Encino, the second-ranked Friars sprinted to the finish line against No. 4 Edison on Friday night.

Greg Portis capped his three-touchdown night with a 28-yard scoring run with 1:50 left in the fourthand Servite intercepted two passes in the final quarter as the Friars posted a 29-17 victory at Cerritos College.

"That loss last week really fired up the team on offense and defense," said Portis, referring to the Friars' 21-20 loss at Crespi.

Servite defensive back Bijon Samoodi applied the final blow by intercepting Edison quarterback Matt Viles' pass at the Friars’ 42 with 44 seconds left.

Earlier in the fourth, Servite defensive back Michael Marcoux intercepted his second pass, leading toa 38-yard field goal by Nicholas Echeverry and a 22-17 lead with 7:16 left.

Servite's defense also recorded six sacks, including two by tackle Kirifi Taula. Sophomore Troy Niklas and Dominic Greco also were each in on two sacks apiece.

Still, Edison had a chance late. Trailing 22-17 with 2:24 left, Edison wide out Michael Rivera just missed hanging on to a long pass from Viles at Servite’s 10. The Chargers’ drive stalled and they turned the ball over on downs.

Edison coach Dave White said the near-catch wasn’t the deciding factor.  "We didn’t play well enough to win but we played hard," he said.

Edison (3-1) turned the ball over on downs at its 41 and three plays later, Portis scored from 28 yards.

"At the end of the game,we really wore them down," Portis said.

Against Crespi, Servite (3-1) missed an extra-point that would have tied the score, 21-21, late in the fourth quarter.

On the opening possession of the second half, Servite wide receiver Christopher Nicholls got behind his cornerback for a 53-yard reception from quarterback Cody Fajardo to cap an 82-yard drive. The Friars, however, missed their second extra point and led 19-10.

Edison countered with its own 82-yard scoring drive. The Chargers converted four third-down conversions on the way to a 4-yard touchdown run by sophomore Davion Orphey.

The teams also traded points in the first half. Edison appeared to score on the opening possession of the game but a penalty nullified a short runby Orphey. Servite’s defense held as the Chargers missed a 28-yard field goal.

But Edison scored on its next drive, thanks to a nice fake by Viles. On second-and-1, he faked a screen pass to his right to Rivera before throwing down the right side to an open Jeff Crissman for a 28-yard touchdown.

Portis heated up in the second quarter. He took advantage of a giant hole up the middle to break a 44-yard touchdown run with 7:12 left in the first half.

Edison responded with a 40-yard field goal by Lucas Vanderman but Portis wasn’t done. He bobbled the ensuing low kickoff but raced 94 yards for a touchdown. Portis flipped into the end zone and was penalized. The Friars missed the extra point but led, 13-10, at halftime.

Orphey started at running back for the injured Wade Houston (ankle).