Titanic struggle
| Saturday, Dec 12 2009 12:21 AM
Last Updated Saturday, Dec 12 2009 12:23 AM
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Rodney Thornburg / The Californian Frontier Titan quarterback Josh Legorreta runs into the secondary on a keeper in first half action.
Rodney Thornburg / The Californian Edison Tiger running back Dasheon Frierson runs for a big gain during first half action against the Frontier's secondary
Alex Horvath / The Californian Frontier quarterback Josh Legorreta dives in the end zone for Frontier's only score as Edison defenders Dasheon Frierson and Garret Kelly try to stop him.
Alex Horvath / The Californian Frontier WR BJ Nard looses grip on a pass as Edison defender Vante Johnson pushes him out of bounds.
Rodney Thornburg / The Californian frontier edison Frontiers #5 Jacob Adelman is brought down by Edison 's #4 Dasheoon Frierson.
Rodney Thornburg / The Californian frontier edison Frontier's #5 Jacob Adelman loses the catch after getting knock out of bounds by Edison's #22 Tevin McDonald.
Rodney Thornburg / The Californian Frontier Titan quarterback Josh Legorreta runs into the secondary on a keeper in first half action.
Rodney Thornburg / The Californian Frontier Titan quarterback Josh Legorreta runs into the secondary on a keeper in first half action.
Rodney Thornburg / The Californian Frontier WR BJ Nard tries to reel in a tipped pass in first half action against Edison. Pass went incomplete.
Rodney Thornburg / The Californian Edison Tiger running back Dasheon Frierson runs for a big gain during first half action against the Frontier's secondary
Rodney Thornburg / The Californian frontier edison #53 Shaquille Mearse hugs a friend after losing ttheCentralSection CIF Div. II Valley Championship to Edison Tigers.
Alex Horvath / The Californian Frontier quarterback Josh Legorreta dives in the end zone for Frontier's only score as Edison defenders Dasheon Frierson and Garret Kelly try to stop him.
Rodney Thornburg / The Californian frontier edison #3 Deshaunte Webber gets consoled by a friend after losing the Division II Valley Championship to the Edison Tigers.
Alex Horvath / The Californian Frontier WR BJ Nard looses grip on a pass as Edison defender Vante Johnson pushes him out of bounds.
Alex Horvath / The Californian Edison Tiger coaches and players spill water over head coach Tim McDonald after winning the Championship game over Frontier.
Rodney Thornburg / The Californian frontier edison Frontiers #5 Jacob Adelman is brought down by Edison 's #4 Dasheoon Frierson.
Alex Horvath / The Californian Frontier Head Football coach Rich Cornford address his players after a tough loss to Edison in the Championship game.
Rodney Thornburg / The Californian frontier edison Frontier's #5 Jacob Adelman loses the catch after getting knock out of bounds by Edison's #22 Tevin McDonald.
Rodney Thornburg / The Californian frontier edison Frontiers #3 Deshaunte Webber is brought down by Edison 's #4 Dasheoon Frierson.
After a scoreless first half of Friday night's CIF Central Section Division II title game at Frontier, it appeared that the outcome could be determined by one big play.
Fresno-Edison had three big plays in the first three minutes of the half and added other big plays later, keying a 23-7 win over Frontier.
The third-seeded Titans (11-2) were trying for their first section football title. Fifth-seeded Edison (10-4) capped a playoff run that saw the Tigers beat the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds en route to their first section title since 2002.
"We executed the game plan defensively in the first half," said Frontier coach Rich Cornford. "In the second half, they just killed us on third down."
In the first half, Edison crossed midfield only on its first drive, and that stalled at the Frontier 44.
But things changed quickly in the second half.
On the Tigers' second play, quarterback Max Schuh completed a 26-yard pass to Vante Johnson to the Frontier 46, and two plays later Dasheon Frierson broke free on a 40-yard run to the half-yard line. Frierson scored on the next play.
On Frontier's first play from scrimmage near midfield, quarterback Josh Legorreta made a poor pitch that turned into a lost fumble.
Nine plays later, Frierson scored on another 1-yard TD run and a two-point conversion pass from Schuh to UCLA-bound Tevin McDonald made it 14-0.
Frontier got back in it when Legorreta scored on an 8-yard run with 2:14 left in the third quarter to cap a 62-yard drive.
But the back-breaker came on Edison's next possession. The Tigers were pinned back at their own 3-yard line facing a second-and-27 situation.
Pass completions of 13 and 25 yards gave Edison a first down and McDonald capped the drive with a 7-yard TD reception.
"We missed some key assignments there," Cornford said of the two big pass plays. "Edison has multiple playmakers and they used them all tonight in certain situations. My hat is off to them for making great calls then then executing them."
Frierson was the workhorse: 137 yards on 31 carries, with 98 of the yards in the second half.
But McDonald was the player who seemed to make big plays throughout the game.
"I had to calm him down -- as a dad," said McDonald's father, said Edison coach Tim McDonald, the former standout defensive back with USC and the 49ers. "We jumped on his back and had him carry us."
Tevin McDonald had an interception, recovered the early third-quarter Frontier fumble and caught 11 passes for 99 yards while adding the TD catch and conversion catch.
"They did a good job of mixing it up and they found their Division I receiver out there," Cornford said. "We had a tough time covering him, whether we were in man or zone."
Jacob Adelman, Frontier's top offensive threat as a wide receiver and kick returner, and the team's top cover man as a defensive back, did not play in the second half. He said he suffered a pinched nerve in his back in the first quarter and it tightened up on him at halftime.
"It sucks being in a Valley championship game and not being able to help your team," he said.
Said Cornford: "Losing him hurt -- I don't think that's why we lost the game. But certainly he's a very valuable player and it showed not having him out on the field."
Edison limited Frontier to 43 net rushing yards and only 3 net rushing yards in the second half.
Legorreta was 12-of-27 for 192 yards with 152 coming in the second half.
