Clovis West Continues Hot Start, Upends Edison 25-7

Clovis West running back Brandon Wafer utilized his blocks all night to rush for over 130 yards and a touchdown. Mateo Morales (#3) led the way for Wafer and the Golden Eagle backfield. PHOTO BY NUGESSE GHEBRENDRIAS/CLOVIS ROUNDUP

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. This Clovis West football team is indeed shaming all preseason doubters and they’re not fooling around on the field.

Clovis West came away with a convincing 25-7 win over Edison-Fresno Thursday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. 

The Golden Eagles got on the board early after forcing Edison into a fourth-and-1 situation, a questionable call considering the Tigers were on their own 11-yard-line at the time. 

They couldn’t convert the fourth down and Clovis West took advantage of the short field, scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run by senior running back Brandon Wafer.

Wafer had himself a great night in the Clovis West backfield, totaling 133 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. He was the focal point of the offense, fueling their drives with his speed and nimble cutbacks. However, Wafer gave all the credit for his success to the coaching staff. 

“We knew we would have to use a run-heavy scheme against Edison’s style of defense and Coach Campbell put us in the right positions and called the right plays to run the ball effectively,” Wafer said. 

While the Clovis West offense was predicated on Wafer, the defense depended upon turnovers to limit Edison’s spread attack. The tenacious Golden Eagles defense came away with three interceptions, the first of which was returned 11 yards for a touchdown by senior linebacker Peyton Chappel. 

The pick-six put Clovis West up 13-0, a lead that Edison would never overcome.  

There were still a few hiccups in the game for the Golden Eagles. They missed three PAT’s and suffered a malaise of offensive penalties in the second half. 

The defense also gave up a big 30-yard touchdown grab to Edison senior receiver Glen Phason in the second quarter. 

Despite it all, Head Coach Tim Randall was pleased with how both sides of the ball performed Thursday, especially coming off a shocking Week 1 upset of powerhouse Central Catholic. 

“When you come off a big win like last week, it’s hard to get the players refocused on the task at hand, especially on a short week.” Randall said. “But our kids are fantastic and they battled their tails off.”

Clovis West has quickly rallied behind their first-year head coach and shocked many with their 2-0 start. After already matching last year’s win total, there’s no telling how high these Golden Eagles can fly.  

Clovis West (2-0) continues their strong start to the season with a home game against Liberty next Friday. Edison (0-2) will face a stiff challenge next week in their home opener, when they face Buchanan. 

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Gabriel Camarillo has written for the Clovis Roundup since August 2019 and follows high school athletics, Fresno State football and former Clovis Unified student-athletes. Gabe also writes for The Collegian as a staff sports writer and works at One Putt Broadcasting as a board op for 940 ESPN radio.