When the Lancers face adversity, they rise up.  In a game reminiscent of last year's CIF Title game at Alemany, the Lancers used a stunning 4th-quarter comeback to beat Edison 38-37 and advance to the CIF quarterfinals.

 

Following an early Edison touchdown, the Lancers answered on consecutive drives.  TJ Lateef first found the endzone on an option keeper to tie it.  Then on the next possession, senior receiver Jackson Weng took a screen pass, beat one defender, and used his speed to score a 61-yard touchdown to give the Lancers a 14-7 advantage.  

 

However, that was the last time the Lancers would score until the 4th quarter.  Edison took a 17-14 lead into the break and extended the advantage to 24-14 with just over 7 minutes to play in the 3rd.

 

After two straight dropped touchdown passes early in the 4th quarter on 3rd and 4th down, the Lancers were forced to give the ball back to Edison, trailing by 10 with just under 10 minutes to play.  But then the momentum changed.  On the ensuing play following the turnover on downs, the Chargers quarterback Parker Awad was called for intentional grounding on a pass from the endzone resulting in a safety. 

 

With the lead down to 8, TJ Lateef hit Tyler Hennessy on the first play of the next drive for 50 yards to the 2-yard line.  Lateef snuck it in 3 plays later and then hit Garrett Schnabel for the 2 point conversion to tie the game at 24 in less than 90 seconds of game time. 

 

Edison responded on the next drive with a 64-yard touchdown to retake the lead, but it only lasted three plays.  Lateef hit Weng for his second score of the game, this time from 43 yards out, which tied the game at 31.  

 

After a three-and-out, the Lancers regained possession and methodically marched the field, resulting in a Lateef touchdown pass to Hennessey with 1:38 left in the game.  But the Chargers would not go down without a fight.  Edison scored a touchdown with 6 seconds left in the game to cut the lead to 1.  Instead of electing for the extra point, they went for two and the win.  Awad's pass sailed just a bit high for his receiver to stay in bounds, and the Lancers held on for a 38-37 win. 

 

OLu outscored the Chargers in the 4th quarter 24-14.  All 24 points for OLu happened in an 8-minute span.  

The win sends the Lancers back to Bellflower, where they will play St. John Bosco in the CIF quarterfinals on Friday, November 11, at 7 pm.