Crissman leads Edison past Diamond Ranch
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In the season opener for both teams, Huntington Beach (Calif.) Edison overcame
a slow start to beat a game Pomona (Calif.) Diamond Ranch squad 27-13.
The Chargers graduated two of the state's top receivers a year ago in Hunter
White (Boise State) and Dominique Vinson (Saddleback JC) and the question all
summer was who was going to catch passes for UCLA-bound signal caller Nick Crissman. At 6 feet 4 and 195 pounds, Crissman looks the part physically and has one of the strongest arms in the region.
We saw the quarterback multiple times this past summer at the NIKE Football
camp, two Elite 11 workouts, various 7 on 7 passing tournaments and at the
prestigious Elite 11 QB camp at SOKA University in late July.
There is no doubt Crissman has all the tools to succeed at the high Division I
level. He did struggle at times against Diamond Ranch, although many times,
it was due to his receivers being blanketed and him having nowhere to go with
the ball. Early on in the game, Crissman had to scramble or roll out to bide
time for his receivers to get open and ended up having to tuck and run when he
couldn't find anyone.
As the game went on, Crissman began to heat up and made some big-time throws,
spreading the ball around to several different receivers. Crissman throws a very tight ball every time, has a quick release and is very accurate.
There were a few times when Crissman was a second slow to see an open receiver
and was late on a few throws, but overall, he looked very solid. He finished the game 15 of 24 for 151 yards with one touchdown and one pick.
Crissman's younger brother Jeff, a junior, had a very nice game on both
sides of the ball. He caught four balls for 54 yards on offense and picked off
two passes on defense. He's a very solid possession-type receiver but will
need to get bigger to project as a Division I prospect.
One Charger from the 2009 class we like a lot is linebacker Preston Spence. At
6 feet 1 and 185 pounds, Spence is very active, has good speed and can deliver a blow.
The Charger linebacker corp was very solid as a group, but Spence is the guy
who looks to have the most D-I tools. He has a great frame and will easily
be able to hold more than 200 pounds by his senior year.
Senior Earnie Sagiao is a load at 5-11, 235 pounds. He plays inside 'backer
and had some huge hits all game long. When Sagiao hits you, that's the end
of the play. He's only a decent athlete but we think he does project as a
D-I player and his best college position might be fullback, where he looked
very good.
Running back Areseo Lakey is another intriguing player for the Chargers.
The 6-foot-1, 195 pound athlete has excellent size, very good speed and just really
looks the part. He has a smooth running style, reads his blocks well and has a
very nice burst. Edison has a solid offensive line and Lakey should put up
some very nice numbers this year and his overall size and skill package should
draw some college attention for sure.
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