Merced rides Gilliam, defense to victory over Edison

Put Ulonzo Gilliam down for an ice bath.

The Merced High School running back more than earned it on Friday night.

The Bears announced the junior would be getting a heavy workload from their opening play, lining him up as the quarterback in a Wildcat formation. Gilliam sprinted for five yards in the first of many touches in an impressive physical showing by the Bears.

Gilliam carried 33 times for 182 yards and two decisive scores in an 18-6 victory over Edison of Fresno at Veterans Stadium.

“It kind of started out where we didn’t know who our quarterback was going to be, so we scripted Ulonzo for a few plays under center,” Merced coach Rob Scheidt said. “We’d kind of been looking at getting him some plays there, so even when Jake (Foss) got cleared, we decided to stick with the script.

“I’m just very pleased with the guys’ effort tonight. They stuck with the game plan and they trusted us. Just an excellent all-around team win.”

The win ended Edison’s four-game winning streak over the Bears; Merced halted the run in convincing fashion.

Despite going up against a massive line on both sides of the ball, the Bears (1-2) routinely won the line of scrimmage. Merced outgained Edison (1-2) in rushing yards 200 to 45 with Gilliam as the focal point.

He carried the ball nine times on an impressive 14-play drive to open the game. The Bears stalled at the Edison 1-yard line, but A.J. Stewart converted a 17-yard field goal to give Merced an early 3-0 lead.

The Bears increased their lead after the Tigers made an ill-advised fake-punt attempt on a fourth-and-19 from their own 36 early in the second quarter. The ensuing run fell well short of a first down, handing Merced the ball in great field position. Gilliam broke a 38-yard touchdown run on the next play to make it 9-0.

The Merced defense held steady into the half, forcing Edison to turn it over on downs on three of its five opening-half possessions, followed by a Rayveon Slaton interception.

“Going into the half I started thinking this is a pretty good feeling,” Scheidt said. “With the energy and the way the kids were playing, I just hoped, win or lose, that they could remember that feeling. I hoped they’d be able to hold onto it and really start building the next couple weeks.”

The Bears kept the good vibes going into the second half, expanding the lead late in the third quarter on a safety when Tiger running back Jaylan King stumbled after taking a handoff and couldn’t escape the end zone.

Brilliant as Merced played, Edison found itself right back in the game with an 11-play drive spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters. Matthew Torres converted a fourth-and-goal from the half-yard line on a quarterback sneak to trim the lead to 11-6 with 8:47 to play.

The Bears answered with the game’s definitive drive, going 77 yards in 12 plays. Gilliam carried the ball eight times on the drive, finishing it and the game with a 1-yard plunge up the middle.

“We practiced all week knowing that we wanted to come out and pound the ball,” Gilliam said. “That last drive was huge for us. We came in 0-2 and hadn’t beaten these guys in a while.

“That’s the kind of drive that can get your season going. Now we have a bye and a chance to get healthier, and hopefully we can come back and play like this against Clovis North.”

This story was originally published September 12, 2015 at 12:03 AM with the headline "Merced rides Gilliam, defense to victory over Edison."