Edison girls’ flag football rallies for road win over Corona del Mar

That includes a pair of tough losses to rival Huntington Beach in the Sunset League, the first going to three overtime periods and the second last week in five overtimes.

The Chargers certainly haven’t ducked anyone, which coach Frank Phung believes prepared them for situations like Monday night.

Junior quarterback Maddie Phung threw a pair of touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and Edison rallied for a 25-19 win at Corona del Mar in a league game.

CdM quarterback Charlotte Ring (26) passes to AnnaSofia Dickens (5) during Monday’s game against Edison. (James Carbone) Freshman Lyric Lesui caught the eventual winning 9-yard touchdown pass with 3:11 left in the game.

“Hat’s off to these girls,” Frank Phung said. “They really pulled together when they needed to … I think that personifies this group. We’re really battle tested.”

Edison improved to 18-6 overall and 7-3 in league, sitting in third place with two games remaining. CdM (13-6, 6-3) is in fourth place in the very competitive league.

CdM led 19-13 entering the final quarter, but Edison tied the score on Phung’s third touchdown pass of the game to senior captain Sadie Olivares.

Edison’s Addie Bond (27) scrambles past CdM’s defense during Monday’s game. (James Carbone) Olivares does a bit of everything in the Chargers’ dynamic offense, from passing to receiving to rushing.

“I think our offense, the one thing about it is you’ll never know where the ball is ending up,” she said. “We do really well with that. Obviously, I love having so many options in one play. It’s what you want as an offensive player.”

The Sea Kings then went three-and-out. Edison senior defensive back Preslee Thomas made a crucial third-and-short flag pull near the right sideline on CdM junior AnnaSofia Dickens, who also had a trio of touchdown catches.

Edison’s ensuing drive went seven plays, with Maddie Phung finding Lesui over the middle for the game-winning score. Phung, who threw four touchdown passes overall, said she was able to find passes over the middle against the Sea Kings’ defense.

CdM receiver AnnaSofia Dickens (5) reaches for the ball over Edison’s Valentine Quarles (0) during Monday’s game. (James Carbone) “I’m just happy our team’s coming together,” Maddie Phung said. “Our offense is looking really good right now. We’re going downfield. The goal line is a little tricky, but we’re working on that and it’s getting better every day and every time we practice it. I’m just really confident in our team.”

CdM freshman quarterback Charlotte Ring had the three touchdown passes to Dickens, who finished with nine receptions for 110 yards. The Sea Kings drove to the Edison side of the field on their last drive, but a second-down sack by Edison sophomore Cece Fernandez halted momentum and CdM turned it over on downs.

Ring also made an impact on defense, with a pair of interceptions.

“She’s going to be good,” Frank Phung said. “I didn’t think they were going to be as good as they were from the throwing perspective, but she threw some gems.”

Edison’s Layla Jimenez (38) reaches for the catch at Corona del Mar on Monday night. (James Carbone) Addi Stern had seven receptions for CdM, which has shown it can compete in the league as well. Last month, the Sea Kings handed Huntington Beach its lone league loss to date.

Dickens has also seen improvement from Ring, her freshman quarterback, who transitioned into the starting role midway through the season.

“I think that her confidence and her ability to be really coachable has caused her to become a really strong player on this team, as a safety and as a quarterback,” Dickens said. “She genuinely has developed so quickly … I’m really happy to have her as a QB and to have Addi as a receiver next to me.”

CdM’s AnnaSofia Dickens (5) celebrates with her team after scoring against Edison on Monday. (James Carbone) Edison hosts Fountain Valley on Wednesday for its senior night.

CdM plays at Newport Harbor on Wednesday night in the second Battle of the Bay meeting, before traveling to Edison for its second game of the week against the Chargers on Friday. That game was rescheduled from earlier in the season, and will be the final league game for both teams.

“It’s going to be hard to beat a team twice, especially in one week,” Olivares said. “We know they’re going to come out different, we’re going to come out different. I think the team that comes out with more energy is probably going to be the team that wins.”

Edison wore pink jerseys Monday night in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, while CdM wore pink flags.

The Edison girls’ flag football team celebrates after winning at Corona del Mar on Monday. (James Carbone) SportsHuntington Beach SportsNewport Beach Sports Get our free TimesOC newsletter, sent twice a week, for the news that matters to your community.

Matt Szabo covers the city of Huntington Beach and sports for the Daily Pilot. A Southern California native and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduate, he has been working for L.A. Times Community News since 2006 and still loves talking to people about their hopes and dreams.