Edison knew ahead of its Friday night clash with No. 9 Colonia that it would be without the services of its All-Star running back. Three-year starter Nykier Eato was unavailable after leaving last week’s game with an ankle injury.
But for the Eagles’ unsung heroes, there’s a difference between having an opportunity and seizing it, especially when facing one of the most Big Central’s most potent offenses.
Making their first starts of the season, running back Lenier Whetstone and cornerback Dedrick Harvey shined, producing career performances in a 27-21 home win in the Bellamy and Son Paving “Big Central Game of the Week” on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Edison (3-3) has now won back-to-back games for the first time this season. The win is also the team’s first in its fourth contest against a team that’s been ranked in the CJSR Top 10.
Whetstone powered Edison’s revamped run game to another dominant performance, picking up a career-high 151 of his team’s 284 rushing yards. The Eagles scored all four of their touchdowns on the ground, including three from returning All-Division fullback Shawn Garland.
After a sluggish start — in which Colonia scored on each of its first two drives to take a 14-6 lead — Edison scored on three of its following four drives to grab the advantage for good.
The red-hot Patriots made a late-game push, using Jaylen McRae’s 45-yard touchdown catch to draw within six points in the fourth quarter. The catch was the first of McRae’s Colonia career.
But as the Patriots mounted what they hoped would be a game-winning drive in the final minutes, Edison cornerback Dedrick Harvey made his biggest contributions of the season. He was involved in all five of Colonia’s incomplete passes in the 4th quarter while covering the Patriots’ top wideout, Nygel Hill.
And with just over a minute left, Harvey turned his string of pass breakups into his first career pick, jumping a Dylan Chiera pass towards the end zone to secure the game-sealing interception — the first of Harvey’s career.
Colonia fell to 4-2 with the loss.
Click below for postgame reaction with head coach Matt Yascko and players Dedrick Harvey and Lenier Whetstonepresented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
