The562’s coverage of football in 2024-25 is sponsored by The Terry Donahue Memorial California Showcase.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
The Wilson football program has been bereft of confidence building wins in recent seasons, but the Bruins got a good boost from a 63-10 thumping of California High on Thursday night in Whittier.
Wilson scored every time it had the ball while junior Jamell Edmond got into the end zone four times.
“It was really my lineman,” Edmond said. “It was making my job easy, they were making my reads and cuts easy and after that— that’s just me doing me.”
After receiving the opening kickoff, Wilson meticulously drove down the field while eating up almost seven minutes of clock before Edmond broke loose for a 10-yard touchdown
It looked like California was ready to go toe-to-toe with Wilson after Brian Padilla broke free for a 21-yard run before the Condors scored on an impressive 61-yard touchdown pass from Ricky Gonzales to Frank Gallardo.
Wilson answered right back on the first play of the ensuing drive as quarterback Mack Cooper found Max Barbee for a 70-yard touchdown to give Wilson a 14-7 lead with 4:17 left in the first quarter.
The Bruins’ defense got the ball right back after Jaden Frauchiger picked off Gonzales.
Cooper immediately got back to work connecting with Evan Mack for a big gain before he took off for an 11-yard run into the red zone. Cooper then threw his second touchdown in the quarter when he found an open Mack for a 19-yard score to put Wilson up 21-7 lead with 2:03 left in the first.
After a decent kick return, the Condors started their next drive at midfield but settled for a field goal that made it 21-10 in the second quarter.
“We bent a little bit today, but we didn’t break,” Wilson coach Travis Clark said. “That was a good thing. And when the offense is clicking and special teams are clicking like that you always play better on defense.”
On the ensuing kickoff, Barbee returned it for an 82-yard touchdown to put Wilson up 28-10 less than a minute into the second quarter.
After another defensive stop, Wilson took advantage of a short field as Edmond scored a 5-yard touchdown for a 35-10 lead.
The Condors missed a field goal attempt on their next drive, and then Wilson went right down the field again before a 29-yard touchdown run from Edmond for a 42-10 lead at halftime.
On California’s opening drive of the second half, Gonzales fumbled and Wilson had the ball going the other way.
Cooper found Edmond for a 1-yard touchdown after going 6-7 for 61 yards on the ensuing drive. Cooper finished the game with 281 yards passing and two touchdowns.
Edmond finished the game with 106 yards and four touchdowns.
The Bruins shutout the Condors in the second half and sophomore Logan Trafas threw a 11-yard touchdown to freshman Kyle Harris to make it 63-10 in the fourth quarter.
Wilson (3-1) will have a bye week before starting Moore League action when the Bruins host Millikan on Sept. 27.
