PREP EXTRA / SATURDAY FOOTBALL PULLOUT : This Time, Edison Defense Proves a Stopper : Prep football: Eighth-ranked Chargers hold twice in last few minutes to beat San Clemente, 14-7.

SAN CLEMENTE — Edison relied on the unreliable Friday night--the sore spot, the sieve, the defense.

It propped up the Chargers in a 14-7 victory over San Clemente at San Clemente High.

Edison (3-0), ranked eighth in Orange County, got little but gave up less. The offense made token appearances, but the defense stuck around, stopping the Tritons twice in the final minutes.

“Our defense did it for us time and time again,” Coach Dave White said. “They were there for us.”

They were there two weeks ago as well, in a less than enthusiastic appearance. Corona del Mar has the highlight films to prove it.

The Chargers’ defense was mauled that night. The offense came to the rescue in a 35-28 victory.

Friday, the defense returned the favor.

“This was Edison defense tonight,” said Bryan Lachapelle, the Chargers’ linebacker, defensive back and spokesman. “Fierce, wild and out of control.”

It was at key moments at the end.

A 33-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Markovsky to Mike Ogas gave the Chargers the lead with five minutes left. It was left up to the defense to make it stand up.

The Chargers stopped San Clemente twice on fourth down in the final 2 minutes 30 seconds. True, Edison did catch a couple breaks. A holding call wiped out an 80-yard touchdown pass by the Tritons. Another one helped kill their last drive.

But the Chargers made enough big plays on their own to rate a rave.

On fourth down at midfield, linebacker Keith Coleman batted down a Jeff Carlin pass. He then carried defensive end Marcos Emhof off the field piggyback.

Excited? You bet.

“We were embarrassed that first week,” Coleman said. “We took a good look at ourselves.”

The Tritons (1-2) got an eyeful, as well.

On the next series, Brodie Riederich nailed Carlin for a loss, again turning the ball over and clinching the victory. It was just another big play in a evening full of them.

Edison’s Ogas intercepted a pass in the end zone to deny the Tritons a touchdown in the first half. Defensive back Andrew Bergsetter swooped in for a sack, forced a fumble and recovered the ball to stop another drive in the fourth quarter.

The Chargers also blocked a field goal.

“After the first week, I would not have expected this kind of performance,” White said. “But we moved a few guys around.”

Like Lachapelle, who now splits time at linebacker and safety. He personally killed one Triton drive, with two tackles and a near interception.

Meanwhile, Edison’s offense was pretty much limited to the running of tailback Bradley Lisotto. He gained 173 yards in 22 carries. His 40-yard run set up a seven-yard touchdown run by Alex Forero in the second quarter. It gave the Chargers a 7-7 tie at halftime.