Max Schuh played catch. Dasheon Frierson flew. Rykeem Yates struck with near knockout force - against one of the most precocious running backs in the Central Section, no less.
And Edison High made a statement: Bring on Bullard.
Quickly turning a County/Metro Athletic Conference showdown into a showcase for talent in black and gold, the No. 10 Tigers blasted No. 13 Hoover 43-7 Friday night at McLane Stadium.
Schuh completed 8 of 11 passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns while playing only the first half, Frierson rushed for 116 yards and two scores, and nose tackle Yates delivered maybe the most punishing performance of his three-year career.
That included a head-on tackle of Eric Kendricks in the second quarter that sent the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Patriot to the sideline.
Coming off a 163-yard, five-touchdown effort against Clovis North, he never came back, and his team, down 8-0, didn't either in a game that was 30-0 at halftime.
"It's about responding," said coach Tim McDonald, whose Tigers were coming off a 21-19 upset loss to Sanger. "There was no doubt in my mind what was going to happen tonight because our guys did it in practice. And when they make up their minds and do all the little things, they can be pretty special."
The most special of all was Yates, a 6-foot-1, 250-pound senior who bench presses an extraordinary 480 pounds. He also played offensive line and he wiped out two Patriots on a Frierson 15-yard touchdown near the end of the first half.
"I read my keys, did what I had to do and big plays came to me," he said.
Now it's onto No. 2 Bullard (8-0, 3-0) for Edison (5-3, 2-1) next Friday at Chukchansi Park.
"It's a big game because it's our next game, that's what I think," Yates said.
If ever Hoover was supposed to have a shot at beating Edison -- something the Patriots had failed to do in the first five years of the CMAC -- this was supposed to be it.
Hoover, in one of its best starts in years, arrived 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the league, having defeated Sanger (34-18) and Clovis North (37-19).
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