MURRIETA — Run, run, run.
Edison senior running back Julian Gillick did just that in Friday’s CIF Southern Section Division 3 semifinal at Vista Murrieta. Gillick scores all six of the Chargers’ touchdowns and rushes for 130 yards in three quarters of work as Edison rolled to a 42-14 win and earned a spot in its first championship game since 2016.
“Quarterbacks like Bryson are tough to prepare for because they can extend plays with their feet and he’s got a nice group of receivers around him, so for our defense to do what they did tonight was impressive,” Chargers coach Jeff Grady said after his team clinched the program’s 10th trip to a CIF final. “This was just a great team win that I want the guys to enjoy for a bit, but we’ll focus forward towards championship week tomorrow.”
Gillick, a University of Montana commit, started his evening with a 47-yard touchdown run up the middle on Edison’s second play from scrimmage, just 21 seconds into the game. Vista Murrieta’s Joshua Banks returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown that tied the score.
Edison (9-4), behind Gillick and a dominant offensive line, scored the next 28 points on Gillick touchdown runs of 3, 4, 2 and 28 yards to open a 35-7 lead with 3:09 left in the first half. Broncos junior quarterback Bryson Beaver found Sean McCullough from 4 yards out with 27 seconds left to cut Vista Murrieta’s halftime deficit to 35-14.
Beaver, who found himself under pressure for most of the night, was intercepted by the Chargers’ Jake Minter on a red-zone trip in the first half.
“Their offensive line won the battle in the trenches and gave Gillick all sorts of lanes to do what he did tonight,” Vista Murrieta coach Coley Candale said. “We played two really good games to get here but we were on borrowed time and that just ran out tonight. We’re as young as can be on both sides of the ball with a lot of guys coming back and, although it hurts to lose, this was a good learning experience for them.”
However, the Edison defense, which had shut out its first two playoff opponents, forced a three-and-out from Vista Murrieta (8-5) on its first series of the second half.
Gillick capped a 4:11 third-quarter scoring drive with a 5-yard touchdown run (his 33rd of the year) to finish the scoring as he sat out the final quarter with Edison comfortably in control.
The Chargers will host Simi Valley, a 28-25 winner over Loyola, next Friday or Saturday night in that championship game.
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