HUNTINGTON BEACH — Edison’s football team withstood a late Granite Hills rally to win the CIF Southern California Division 1-A Regional championship Saturday at Huntington Beach High.

The Chargers led by 20 points at two separate points of the game, but had to sweat out a 34-28 win.

Edison (11-4) will play Central High of Fresno next Saturday, Dec. 14, at 3:30 p.m. for the Division 1-A state championship at Saddleback College.

The Chargers reached the state playoffs in 2012 and 2016, but this will be the first time they will play for a state championship.

“I know how much it means to this community and because of that, it means a lot to us,” Edison senior running back Julius Gillick said. “It’s a great feeling to know that we are going to leave our mark here.”

Gillick certainly has left his mark on Edison during his senior season. He missed the Southern Section championship game last week due to being suspended for being assessed two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the semifinals the week prior.

Gillick had an impactful return Saturday with 240 yards rushing on 39 carries with three touchdowns.

“They pulled through for me last week in a really huge way and I’m grateful for that to say the least,” Gillick said. “I’m really glad to be back, but I know with our without me, this team is pulling through. I’m really proud of my linemen. I’m nothing without those guys.”

Granite Hills (11-3) had the ball trailing 34-28 with under three minutes remaining in the game. On fourth-and-6, Devyn Blake tipped a pass and Matt Lopez got an interception to give the Chargers the ball with 2:22 remaining in the game.

“That’s just a huge stop. They had all the momentum at that point,” Edison coach Jeff Grady said. “Making that play and being able to kill the clock offensively was huge.”

“Huge team effort on that play. Everyone did their job,” Lopez said. “It’s a surreal experience.”

With Edison trailing 7-0 in the first quarter, Gillick ran for the first of his three touchdowns to tie the game at seven.

Early in the second quarter, Edison took the lead on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Sam Thomson to Aidan Brown. Thomson completed 6 of 12 passes for 112 yards with two touchdowns.

Gillick ran for another touchdown late in the quarter to extend the lead to 20-7.

Granite Hills attempted to convert a fourth-and-2 from its own 25. Carson Schmidt stopped a run short of the first down marker to give Edison excellent field position.

Gillick ran for his third touchdown of the half to give Edison a 27-7 lead at halftime.

Granite Hills opened the second half with a touchdown on a trick play. Running back Maxwell Turner threw a jump-pass to Tristan Diaz to cut the lead to 27-14.

Late in the third quarter, Thomson threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jake Minter to extend Edison’s lead to 20 points.

Turner ran for a touchdown and the Eagles’ defense forced a big turnover on the ensuing Edison possession. Parker Vance recovered a fumble for Granite Hills, then hauled in a 30-yard pass to give the Eagles the ball at Edison 1.

Turner ran for his third touchdown of the game to make the score 34-28 with 8:39 left in the game. The Utah Tech signee entered the game with 1,928 yards rushing with 29 touchdowns. He ran for 107 yards on 25 carries with three touchdowns Saturday.

Blake had a sack for Edison and Jack Knudtson added a sack.

Granite Hills was the San Diego Section Division 1 champion with a win over San Marcos in the championship game. The Eagles have won three consecutive CIF championships and won a state championship in 2022.

LAS VEGAS — Alexandre Pantoja successfully defended his flyweight title Saturday night with a technical submission of Kai Asakura, using a rear naked choke to put his challenger to sleep at the 2:05 mark of the second round.

Pantoja (29-5) was making his third title defense since winning a split decision over Brandon Moreno at UFC 290 on July 8, 2023.

Asakura (21-5) was making his UFC debut, but was no match for Pantoja, who closed a -275 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook.

Pantoja’s far superior skills on the mat outweighed Asakura’s hard-hitting reputation. After a brief scramble to better position himself, Pantoja got Asakura’s back, put him in a body triangle, and then choked him out.

Originally scheduled to fight in the main event until welterweight champion Belal Muhammad pulled out because of a bone infection in his foot, No. 3 Shavkat Rakhmonov (19-0-0) defeated seventh-ranked replacement fighter Ian Machado Garry (15-1-0) by unanimous decision in the co-main event. Rakhmonov, who closed as a -400 favorite, was taken to a decision for the first time in his career.

After a three-round heavyweight bout, No. 2 contender Ciryl Gane (13-2-0), who went off as a 4-to-1 favorite, earned a split decision over No. 3 Alexander Volkov (38-11-0).

In a featherweight bout, No. 13 Bryce Mitchell (17-3-0) stopped Kron Gracie (5-3-0) 39 seconds into the third round after he followed a powerful body slam with a thunderous forearm to the head. Mitchell closed a massive -1000 favorite.

After the betting market drove the closing price down to +115 on underdog Dooho Choi (16-4-1), he delivered with a stoppage at 3:21 of the third round after putting Nate Landwehr (18-6-0) in a crucifix, and referee Chris Tognoni stopped the scheduled three-round featherweight bout.

Two notable matches earlier in the night included former champions bantamweight Aljamain Sterling and middleweight Chris Weidman.

Sterling (24-5-0) lost by decision to Movsar Evloev (19-0-0), who has the longest active streak in the UFC featherweight division at eight.

Eryk Anders (18-8-0) topped Chris Weidman (16-9-0) by way of TKO at 4:51 of the second round.

INDIANAPOLIS — Undefeated Oregon pulled off the expected and grabbed the top spot in the College Football Playoff. Underdog Clemson pulled off a last-second stunner and stole one of the last ones.

In between, Georgia’s quarterback got hurt, Alabama’s hopes grew murkier and the selection committee settled in to create a first-of-its-kind 12-team postseason bracket that promises only one sure thing: a 100% chance of enraging at least some slice of college football’s rabid fan base.

The drama began – and ended – when No. 17 Clemson blew a three-touchdown lead Saturday night, then got a 56-yard field goal to win with no time left, nosing its way into the 12-team playoff with a 34-31 victory over No. 8 SMU.

That game, for the Atlantic Coast Conference title, killed off any small chance of a placid, predictable Selection Sunday.

It presented the committee with a choice it was hoping it wouldn’t have to make: Take the Crimson Tide (9-3) with three losses and the Southeastern Conference resume. Or take SMU, which has only two losses and showed so much heart in the comeback against Clemson that even the opposing coach was lobbying for the Mustangs (11-2).

“That’s a playoff football team,” said Clemson’s Dabo Sweeney, who is going to the playoffs for the seventh time himself. “SMU, they better be in the dang playoffs. What a comeback by those guys.”

SMU coach Rhett Lashley wasn’t arguing.

“It doesn’t matter what I say, but it would be incredibly wrong” if SMU were left out, he said. “I think it would be unprecedented. It would set a really bad precedent. It would break all the principles of what we’ve been told.”

The committee’s most scrutinized decision will dictate whether the SEC puts three or four teams into this year’s tournament, and whether the ACC gets one or two. The bracket reveal show begins Sunday at 9 a.m. PT on ESPN.

The Big Ten is all but certain to have four, led by Oregon, a 45-37 winner over Penn State in a game that cemented the Ducks (13-0) as the postseason favorite.

The SMU loss also shook up the first-round bye discussion. Arizona State, which started the day with a 45-19 clobbering of Iowa State for the Big 12 title, now looks poised to be the fourth-best conference champion. The top four move directly into the quarterfinals.

That is, of course, assuming the committee keeps the Sun Devils ahead of Clemson. ASU was ranked 15th in the last ranking, two spots ahead of the Tigers.

Georgia QB suffers an injury, but the Dawgs get a big break

There won’t be any second-guessing about giving Georgia a first-round bye after its 22-19 overtime victory over No. 2 Texas in the SEC game.

But to say the Bulldogs (11-2) are one of the four best teams in the country right now might be stretching it.

They got outgained by more than 100 yards by the Longhorns; they have two losses; they also have a big question mark at quarterback after Carson Beck left the game with an injured hand.

The committee has taken injuries into account before – it left Florida State, with injured QBs dotting their roster, out of the four-team playoff last year.

That won’t happen to Georgia, but it will force a conversation about who really deserves these byes.

They are currently projected to go to teams that were ranked 1 (Oregon), 5 (Georgia), 10 (Boise State) and 15 (Arizona State) a mere week ago and whose rankings probably will only change by a spot or two come Sunday.

Indiana asks, why aren’t we a home team?

Everything else will be a matter of analytics, statistics, the “eye test” and some semblance of an attempt by the committee to avoid a rebellion in conference headquarters and coaching offices across the country.

First-round games will be played on four campuses on Dec. 20-21, so home-field advantage means a lot.

Curt Cignetti, the coach of No. 9 Indiana, was among those watching Saturday’s games unfold and asking “How are we, right now, not seeded for a home game?”

The Hoosiers lost the biggest game on their schedule, 38-15 to Ohio State, which was ranked three spots higher than Indiana after its own loss, 13-10 to Michigan.

Other teams to watch

Notre Dame: As an independent, the Irish were never eligible for a bye, but will be at home the first weekend, presumably as the No. 5, 6 or 7 seed. Could we be headed for an in-state 7-vs-10 first-round game between the Fighting Irish and Indiana?

Texas: The Longhorns are 11-0 against the world and 0-2 against Georgia. The committee has indicated it’s not inclined to penalize title-game losers that much, so Texas could finish as high as No. 5 and seemingly no lower than No. 7. A potential quarterfinal between Arizona State and Texas (as a 3-6 or 4-5 matchup) would seem like a fun Southwestern-themed fit for the Fiesta Bowl, but those two could also conceivably meet in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta instead … pending how the seeds shake out.

Penn State: Coach James Franklin said he felt the Nittany Lions showed enough against Oregon to stay at home for the first game, but “we’ll be excited about whatever opportunity comes.” Penn State lost to Ohio State on its home field in the regular season, so where those two teams get ranked could become a talking point but Penn State and Notre Dame appear likely to jockey for the 6 seed.

Ohio State and Tennessee: Last week, they would have been paired in an 8-9 game at Ohio State – fair enough, except the AP Top 25 had them flip-flopped, which would have given home field to the Vols. The 8-9 winner would head to the Rose Bowl to face Oregon on New Year’s Day.

Boise State: The win Friday night puts Heisman Trophy hopeful running back Ashton Jeanty in the playoffs – and with a bye, no less. Love the underdog, love the playoffs, but does anything make sense about, say, Alabama playing Texas for the right to face the Mountain West champ in the Fiesta Bowl?

Miami: They were first team out last week, will probably be the second team out this week and, along with the loser in the SMU-Alabama debate, a great example of how expanding the playoffs does not make the college postseason perfect.

Saturday’s title game results …

SEC – No. 5 Georgia 22, No. 2 Texas 19 (OT): Gunner Stockton, a little-known backup who had barely played for Georgia, came off the bench after an injury to Carson Beck and led the Bulldogs to an improbable overtime victory in Atlanta.

The Bulldogs (11-2) won their third SEC title under Coach Kirby Smart, but the trophy comes with an even bigger prize – a first-round bye in the playoff. Georgia is assured of playing in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal game on New Year’s Day in pursuit of its third national title in four seasons.

Texas (11-2, No. 2 CFP ) was denied an SEC title capper on its first season in the league and will host a first-round game on either Dec. 20 or 21. Both of its losses have been to the Bulldogs, who prevailed 30-15 when the powerhouse programs met in Austin during the regular season.

But the big question for Georgia amid the celebration was the health of Beck, the two-year starter who went down on the final play of the first half with an injured throwing arm.

Stockton, a third-year sophomore, had played only six games in his college career – all of them mere mop-ups of blowout wins. He guided the Bulldogs to a touchdown and two field goals before taking a hard hit on a run in overtime that sent his helmet flying.

Beck, who could barely lift his arm, came back in the game for first-and-goal at the 4. All he had to do – and could do – was hand off to Trevor Etienne, who powered into the end zone to end the first overtime game in the SEC championship’s 33-year history.

Big Ten – No. 1 Oregon 45, No. 3 Penn State 37: Dillon Gabriel threw four touchdown passes and Oregon outlasted Penn State in Indianapolis, giving the Ducks a first-round bye and almost certainly the top seed in the playoff.

The Ducks (13-0, No. 1 CFP) are only unbeaten team in FBS – barely. They nearly blew a 15-point lead in the final four minutes, ending the Nittany Lions’ last gasp by intercepting Drew Allar’s pass with 1:54 left on a wild, wacky championship weekend.

Jordan James ran for for two scores to help Oregon win its first league title since 2020 in the Pac-12, this one coming in its first year in the Big Ten.

Penn State (11-2, No. 3 CFP) also is expected to make the first 12-team playoff field despite having its four-game winning streak snapped after failing to convert a 2-point conversion early in the fourth quarter – leaving it down 38-30.

Oregon then capped a 75-yard drive with James’ 12-yard touchdown run to make it 45-30 with 7:28 to go.

ACC – No. 18 Clemson 34, No. 8 SMU: Cade Klubnik threw for 262 yards and four touchdowns, Nolan Hauser kicked a 56-yard field goal as time expired and Clemson knocked off SMU in Charlotte, North Carolina, to earn a spot in the playoff.

Hauser’s field goal was the longest in ACC championship game history.

Bryant Wesco had eight catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter for the Tigers (10-3, No. 17 CFP), who needed a win to get into the expanded 12-team playoffs. Jake Briningstool added two short TD receptions as Clemson improved to 9-1 in ACC championship games under Coach Dabo Swinney.

Kevin Jennings threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns and ran a score for SMU (11-1, No. 8 CFP), which had gone 8-0 in the regular season in its first year since in the ACC after moving over from American Athletic Conference.

The mistake-filled loss cost the Mustangs a shot at a first-round bye in the CFP and potentially could keep them out of the field altogether.

Big 12 – No. 12 Arizona State 45, No. 16 Iowa State 19: Cam Skattebo ran for 170 yards and two scores while adding a touchdown catch as Big 12 newcomer Arizona State beat Iowa State in Arlington, Texas, to secure a spot in the playoff.

The Sun Devils (11-2, No. 15 CFP), with their 34-year-old head coach Kenny Dillingham, will be the only Big 12 team in the expanded playoff field after being the preseason pick to finish at the bottom of their new 16-team league. They have a six-game winning streak and one of their two losses came in a game when redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt was out with injury.

Iowa State (10-3, No. 16 CFP), which already had the first 10-win season in the program’s 133-year history, trailed 24-10 before turnovers in its own territory on its first three drives after halftime. Arizona State capitalized with Leavitt throwing touchdowns each time.

Xavier Guillory had touchdown catches of 8 and 21 yards in a 71-second span, and Skattebo turned a third-down swing pass into a 33-yard score for a 45-10 lead that he punctuated with his second Heisman Trophy pose of the day. Leavitt finished 12 of 17 passing for 219 yards.

The scores from the football games Friday and Saturday in the CIF Southern California Regional championships.

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

DIVISION 1-A

Edison 34, Granite Hills 28

DIVISION 2-A

Palos Verdes 28, Bakersfield Christian 10

DIVISION 3-A

Rio Hondo Prep 28, Poway 14

DIVISION 4-A

St. Pius X-St. Matthias 28, St. Augustine 7

DIVISION 5-A

Palmdale 41, Selma 38

DIVISION 6-A

Spring Valley Monte Vista 41, Pasadena 21

DIVISION 7-A

Pioneer 24, Panorama 0

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

DIVISION 1-AA

San Diego Lincoln 34, Newbury Park 27

DIVISION 2-AA

Oxnard Pacifica 37, Narbonne 20

DIVISION 3-AA

Bakersfield Frontier 39, Murrieta Mesa 7

DIVISION 4-AA

Highland 33, Coalinga 31

DIVISION 5-AA

Lakeside El Capitan 33, Silverado 19

DIVISION 6-AA

Portola 35, King/Drew 34 (OT)

DIVISION 7-AA

Lindsay 35, Chatsworth 20

PALM SPRINGS — Ten people were injured Saturday night on the route of the 32nd annual Palm Springs Festival of Light Parade in downtown Palm Springs.

The celebration was held at 401 S. Pavilion Way from 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Saturday, according to the city of Palm Springs.

The event featured floats, dance performances, giant balloons and a variety of special guests.

Just after 6 p.m., there was an accident on the parade route, at Palm Canyon Drive and Amado Road, the Palm Springs Police Department reported on social media.

A traffic officer was involved in the accident and suffered non-life-threatening injuries along with nine other people, police said. All were taken to by paramedics to hospitals for treatment.

KESQ reported that according to witnesses, the officer’s motorcycle crashed into the crowd on the parade route.

The California Highway Patrol was investigating, and asked people to send their videos and pictures of the accident to PSCityGovernmentMediapalmspringsca.gov

Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum was celebrity grand marshal and Madchen Amick, perhaps best known as her role in the CW show “Riverdale,” was honorary grand marshal. Miss California Kimberly Vernon and Nancy Sinatra were also featured in the parade.