Experienced Edison back in third round

MILAN — The next level has arrived. When the Edison football team made the state playoffs in 2015, it was the first time in six years for the program — and just the third time overall. The first two playoff experiences for the Chargers were losses by 22 and 55 points, respectively. But then came 2015 and 2016, when Edison went 3-1 in the playoffs in both seasons to win back-to-back regional championships in Division V. This season, the Chargers entered with high expectations. Edison returned 18 of a possible 22 starters on offense and defense from a team that had gone 11-2 and reached the third round of the playoffs. So far, Edison has looked the part. The Chargers are 12-0 entering Friday's third round matchup with Eastwood (11-1) at 7 p.m. at Bob Bishop Stadium in Clyde. Edison went 10-0 in the regular season and finished with a No. 4 ranking in the final Associated Press state poll. Longtime head coach Jim Hall said there is a noticeable difference in the team's approach. "We've had the opportunity to go on playoff runs before, I don't want to say it was more exciting then, but it was new," Hall said. "But this group is like, 'alright, this is where we thought we'd be, and let's go win the next one.' It's been kind of different in that sense." Hall said no matter the accomplishment — a league championship or an upset win over Div. IV No. 2-ranked Perkins (9-1) — his team has been low key about them. "Just watching the kids all year, they have high goals and expectations, and the accomplishments so far are very exciting," Hall said. "But they are always focused on what's next in front of them … the attitude is, 'what do we have to do?; "They really hold themselves to a high standard," he added. "Everything so far has been expected in their minds, and we need to go out and continue to get better and take care of business. That's how they are approaching everything." The Chargers are facing an Eastwood team they need no introduction to. Edison beat the Eagles — ranked No. 15 in the final AP poll — by a 38-7 score in the second round last season in Milan. Eastwood's lone loss to date was by the slimmest of margins. Facing AP No. 5 Oak Harbor (12-0) on the road for the Northern Buckeye Conference championship in Week 9 on Oct. 18, the Eagles were turned away on the final four plays of the game from the Rockets' 4-yard line as time expired. Eastwood quarterback Drew Luidhardt is 161-of-232 passing for 2,804 yards with 35 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Andre Lewis has caught 59 of those passes for 1,007 yards and 14 TDs, while Cam Schumaker adds 33 catches for 716 yards and 9 TDs; and Dayquan Oliver has 30 catches for 508 yards and 6 TDs. From an offensive style of play, Hall said Eastwood was similar to Perkins with how it tries to attack defenses. "I think they're passing game is really impressive with the receivers they put on the field athletically," Hall said of Eastwood. "They spread you out, and Luidhardt is accurate and spreads it around. He has a good offensive line in front of him and they are really well-balanced with what they do. "Obviously they are 11-1 and are very good. Defensively, they've got good size up front and a lot of the same names from offense on defense. They fly to the football. You can tell it's just a well-coached team with great balance." For Edison, SBC Bay Division Most Outstanding Performer Cy Finnen leads the way on both sides of the ball. He has 979 yards and 12 TDs on 145 rush attempts and has made 79 tackles with three sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Also in the backfield for the Chargers is Bryson Wittmer, who has 864 yards and 14 TDs on just 93 rush attempts (9.3-yard average). Quarterback Abe Hermes is 68-of-113 passing for 1,125 yards with 10 TDs and 5 INTs, and adds 623 yards and 8 TDs on 105 attempts. Also on defense, Ryder Kram has 89 tackles with one sack, an interception, two forced fumbles and a recovery. Zach Rang adds 55 tackles and four sacks, and Grayson Smith has 68 tackles with an interception. The winner of Friday's game also faces the winner of another Region 18 rematch from a year ago. Liberty Center (12-0) — ranked No. 2 in the final AP poll — faces Oak Harbor (12-0) at Maumee on Friday. Last season, the Tigers won, 45-14, en route to reaching the state championship game, where they fell by a TD (21-14) to Massillon Perry.