Edmunds does it all as HB stays perfect

DANA POINT — Brady Edmunds had never played defense in high school. With the game on the line Friday night, he lined up at defensive end anyway.

Dana Hills had the ball at the Huntington Beach 15 in the final minute, trailing by five. Edmunds, the Oilers’ quarterback, spent the drive telling coach Matthew Hatchette that nobody wanted it more than he did, and he got his wish. The Dolphins threw three straight incompletions, and Huntington Beach held on for a 21-16 Delta League win in a matchup of unbeaten teams.

“Big-time players make big-time plays at big-time moments,” Edmunds told the Orange County Register.

He had already made plenty of them on offense. The Ohio State commit completed 17 of 27 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 43 yards, and kept it himself on a 12-yard touchdown run with 4:14 left that put the Oilers ahead for good.

Huntington Beach (7-0, 2-0 Delta) is off to its best start since 1993, the year Tony Gonzalez was catching passes there. It is also living dangerously. Friday was the Oilers’ third straight one-score win, after El Modena (24-21) and Yorba Linda (29-25).

How it turned

Edmunds set the tone on the opening drive, converting two fourth downs and finishing an 80-yard march with a 21-yard touchdown pass to North Carolina commit Skylar Robinson on fourth-and-1.

Dana Hills answered right back. Enzo Gallo capped an 81-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown run, and the Dolphins stuffed Huntington Beach on fourth down at their own 3 at the end of the first quarter.

The Oilers broke the tie on a big defensive play. Junior lineman Kaz Abdollahian batted a pass at the line, caught his own deflection at the Huntington Beach 45, and Edmunds turned it into an 18-yard touchdown pass to Dylin Bruce with 33 seconds left in the half. A pass interference call on a botched extra point gave the Oilers a second chance at two, and Edmunds ran it in for a 15-7 lead.

Then Gallo got loose. His 66-yard touchdown run in the third quarter pulled Dana Hills within 15-13 after a penalty wiped out the 2-point try. Dana Hills coach Tony Henney followed with a pooch kick that London Getz recovered, and Enzo Carpino’s 27-yard field goal on the final play of the quarter gave the Dolphins a 16-15 lead.

Both sidelines celebrated a little too hard before the fourth quarter. The teams danced their way into offsetting penalties, which tells you about the mood of the place.

Bruce, an Arizona State commit, flipped it back. On his only punt return of the night, he went 45 yards to the Dana Hills 24, and Edmunds finished the drive himself. Bruce was stopped on the 2-point try, which left the door open. Dana Hills drove to the 15 before the Oilers’ defense, with their quarterback rushing off the edge, closed it.

Dana Hills' fourth-and-5 attempt from the Oilers 15 w/ 56 sec left, Dolphins were close! And check the rush by @bradyedmunds9 - he's the DL wearing the QB towel!

— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) October 10, 2026

The numbers

Gallo finished with 173 yards on 17 carries and has run for at least two touchdowns in every game this season. Carter Anderson threw for 204 yards for Dana Hills, and Jack Norman caught 10 passes for 150. The Dolphins sacked Edmunds three times.

Huntington Beach won it with turnovers. The Oilers intercepted three passes, including one by Charlie Stubin early in the second half. Bruce added six catches for 115 yards, and Robinson caught six for 60.

“They made a couple more plays than we did,” Henney said.

Beyond the headliners

Edmunds gets the headlines, but Huntington Beach’s depth is why the Oilers keep surviving close games. Robinson came into Friday with 30 catches for 525 yards and four touchdowns. Bruce is a two-way problem: 29 catches, 448 yards and five touchdowns on offense, plus 24 tackles and two interceptions on defense. Kye Crump has caught three touchdown passes. On defense, junior linebacker Xavier Atkinson has been everywhere, with 51 tackles in five games, and senior Evan Scruggs has three sacks and five tackles for loss.

Dana Hills has its own stars. Gallo now has 729 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. Norman has 33 catches for 634 yards and eight scores, and Anderson has thrown for 1,469 yards and 18 touchdowns. The defense takes the ball away: Stephen Reda has five interceptions, Esai Rivera four and Ryan Blake three. Junior Noah Carter has seven sacks.

Dana Hills also has depth behind Anderson in sophomore Caden Marquis, one of the top 2029 quarterbacks, who has five touchdown passes in limited action and gives the Dolphins another option if they need a spark.

Dana Hills (6-1, 1-1) plays at Laguna Beach on Friday, Oct. 16. Huntington Beach is at Western on Thursday.