Highlands 17, Edision 7

Quick take: Ja’corey Bremby rushed 19 times for 132 yards and a touchdown to lead Highlands to a 17-7 victory Saturday afternoon against Edison, earning the Owls a chance at a district title next week.

“We’re right where we want to be,” Highlands coach Chris Castillo said. “We talked about it from the beginning; we wanted to play for a district championship against Brackenridge. That’s all we could ask for.”

Highlands (5-4, 5-2 District 13-5A) racked up 396 total yards of offense while limiting Edison to 140 total yards and just 18 yards through the air.

“We knew (Edison quarterback Roger Lopez) was a key to their offense,” Castillo said. “So we just said, if we could stop that, stop their counter plays, we’d be OK and force them to do some things they didn’t want to do. We did that.”

Highlights: Highlands opened the game with a long drive deep into Edison territory, but the Bears forced and recovered a fumble at their own one-yard line to keep the Owls out of the end zone. After forcing a punt, Highlands managed to march the ball back into the red zone, and Bremby finished off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. The senior piled up 12 carries for 107 yards a touchdown on the first two drives alone as the Owls’ offensive line imposed its will against the Beas’r front seven.

Sophomore defensive tackle Ramiro Romero recovered an Edison fumble on the next possession, setting the Owls’ offense up near midfield. On the subsequent drive, quarterback Jacob Gutierrez evaded the third-down pass rush, stepped up in the pocket and launched a pass 37 yards into the hands of Luis Ortiz for a touchdown to extend the Highlands lead to 14-0.

Roger Coronado connected on a 34-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to increase the Highlands lead to 17-0 at the break.

Edison (3-6, 3-4) opened the third quarter with an eight-minute drive, but penalties cost the Bears any points out of the possession as the Owls took over on downs. Junior quarterback Roger Lopez also exited the game with an injury on the drive, forcing the Bears to lean on their thirdstring quarterback for the remainder of the afternoon.

A fumble recovery by senior linebacker Ozzy Martinez halted the driving Highlands’ offense, giving possession back to Edison on its 26-yard line to start the fourth quarter. With limited time to reduce the deficit, the runheavy Bears were forced to air it out and Owls defensive back De’Anthony Johnson capitalized on an underthrown pass downfield for an interception.

Edison freshman safety Samaad Bunch blocked a Highlands punt on the next drive, giving the Bears possession just outside the red zone. Alex Hernandez completed an 8-yard pass to Joshua Boykin, who was uncovered in the flat for an easy touchdown to cut the Highlands lead to 17-7 with under five minutes left to play.

What it means: Highlands is now tied with Lanier and Brackenridge for the best record in a crowded District 13-5A, with an opportunity to move ahead of the latter and secure the league championship next Saturday. Meanwhile, Edison’s postseason hopes vanish with the loss as Kennedy and Burbank hold head-to-head tiebreakers over the Bears.

Quotable: “I thought we played hard,” Castillo said. “That’s all I want from our kids. Just care about each other and play hard.” Game balls: Gutierrez finished the afternoon 13-of-18 for 202 yards and a touchdown, while Ortiz grabbed four receptions for 90 yards and a score.

Up next: Highlands finishes out the regular season with a matchup against Brackenridge at 2 p.m. Nov. 6 at Alamo Stadium. Edison will take on Jefferson at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at Alamo Stadium.