Chieftains slip past Edison

MILAN — The offensive and defensive lines are where games are won. Edison couldn't get the control they needed to win the game. The Chargers fell to Hopewell-Loudon 22-14 at Freedom Field on Friday in non-league play. "We lost the game up front at the line of scrimmage," Edison coach Jim Hall said. "We couldn't do the things we like to do. Our first drive was great, and then we turned it over. Then, they got it, and then we got it and turned it over again. We gave up a ton of field positions, and they capitalized." The first half was not the shining moment for the Chargers (2-1). Bryson Wittmer exploded for 47 yards across two carries, but later at the 10-yard line, Edison fumbled the ball. The Chieftains (3-0) put a drive together but had to punt. The game was scoreless after one quarter. "We made a couple of mistakes in the secondary," Hall said. "Just everything that could go wrong or get blown did. Credit to Hopewell, though; they are a well-coached team. Their guys up front were tough." In the second quarter, Kellen Frankart hit Jack Colatruglio for 23 yards, which put the Chieftains at the five-yard line. Frankart covered that distance on the next drive. H-L missed on the two-point conversion but led 6-0. Edison converted on third down on its next drive but turned the ball over on downs. H-L wasted no time moving the ball down the field. On third down, Chieftains quarterback Jacoby Ellis was sacked by Jacob Kuhl, bringing up fourth down. Hopewell-Loudon converted, though. Ellis connected with Jack Colatruglio for a 27-yard touchdown with 25 seconds to go in the half. Ellis added the two-point conversion pass to Brody Brickman for a 14-0 lead at halftime. Things compounded for Edison as Wittmer was hurt in the first half as well. "We got the big score before the half," Hopewell-Loudon coach Brian Colatruglio said. "I told them at the half Edison doesn't lose. They don't lose that often, and they were going to come out and fight like crazy. I knew this was going to be a four-quarter game." Edison did put up a fight in the third quarter. After Hopewell-Loudon punted, the Chargers got a first down on a pass by Cole Leimeister. Two penalties by H-L gave Edison another pair of first downs. Leimeister then hit Coltyn Meagrow for a 31-yard touchdown pass. The extra point by Alex Davidson cut the Edison deficit to 14-7. The Chargers didn't stop there. Edison recovered a fumbled kickoff return and immediately cashed in. Leimeister found Andy Strecker for a 28-yard touchdown. After Davidson made the extra point, the game was tied at 14. Edison kept coming as Leimeister picked off a pass. The Chargers couldn't add on and were forced to punt. Hopewell-Loudon was able to retake the lead for good on its next offensive possession. The Chieftains drove, and Frankart scored on a three-yard touchdown. Ellis completed a pass to Jack Colatruglio for the two-point conversion and 22-14 advantage. Edison made a couple attempts at trying to tie the game but couldn't. Leimeister was intercepted in the end zone, and later, after advancing to midfield, the Chieftains stopped the Chargers with a pair of defensive sacks. "It was tough; we had the look," Hall said. "Cole tried to put it up for us and just couldn't." The plan for the Chargers is simple heading into practice next week. "It's fundamentals; we have to go back to it," Hall said. "We have to get back to that. It's how we play offense and defense well. We have to get back to what makes us successful." Hopewell 0 14 0 8 — 22Edison 0 0 14 0 — 14ScoringHL — Kellen Frankart 5 run (run failed)HL — Jack Colatruglio 27 pass from Jacoby Ellis (Brody Brickman pass from Ellis)E — Coltyn Meagrow 31 pass from Cole Leimeister (Alex Davidson kick)E — Andy Strecker 28 pass from Leimeister (Davidson kick)HL — Frankart 3 run (Colatruglio pass from Ellis)