RICHMOND – The jinx is dead, and the Edison football team is headed to the playoffs.

Trailing rival Indian Creek at halftime, Edison mounted a drive culminating in a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and the Wildcats held on to defeat the Redskins, 12-7, on Senior Night in the annual Route 43 Bowl Friday night at the Edison Unified Sports Complex.

The win was Edison’s first against Indian Creek since all the way back in 2008.

“It is a big win, period,” first-year Edison (7-3) head coach Mike Collopy said. “I said in the paper Indian Creek’s record is not reflective of the type of team they are. It is a game both teams get up for. We knew we were going to get their best shot.”

The Wildcats entered the game in 10th place in the Ohio Division V Region 17 standings, and the victory against the Redskins secured a playoff spot for Edison.

“It means a lot to the kids and to the community,” Collopy said about Edison making its third – and second straight – trip to the playoffs. “Our goal coming into the season was to get better every day.”

and I think we have done that. We wanted to put forth a product that represents our school and our community. We’re blue collar, we’re hard workers and we’re tough. I am so proud of the kids. We have come a long way in a short period of time. All the credit goes to the kids. They have worked their tails off.”

The Wildcats will finish the season with a winning record for the first time since 2010.

“When we needed it the most, our kids gave us they best they had,” Collopy said. “That is what they have been doing all season. Our kids have faced a lot of adversity this season. Every team faces adversity, but I am proud of our kids for how they responded. They continue to respond.

“I am so happy for our seniors. Two years ago, they went 0-10 as sophomores. Those kids are on this team. That says a lot about them. This is a special group of kids.”

“Our kids played hard,” Indian Creek (1-8) head coach Andrew Connor said. “They battled. Congratulations to Edison. I am proud of our kids.”

After forcing an Indian Creek punt, Edison took over at its own 23, and the Wildcats drove 77 yards on eight plays for what proved to be the game-winning score.

Jacob Cusick caught a 15-yard pass from quarterback Gage Cline early in the drive, and a 47-yard down the sideline by Talan McClurg, who tallied 111 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, gave the Wildcats the ball at the Redskins 1. From there, McClurg plowed into the end zone for his second touchdown of the night giving Edison a 12-7 lead. The Wildcats opted to try a 2-point conversion, however, the pass fell incomplete keeping the Redskins’ deficit at five points with 11:45 remaining to be played in the game.

Indian Creek took over on the ensuing drive at its own 35. The Redskins drove 57 yards down to the Wildcats’ 28, however, Edison’s defense came up with a big stop as Indian Creek quarterback Eli Powell was sacked for a loss giving the Wildcats the ball at their own 30 with 6:30 left to play.

Indian Creek did not get the ball back.

Edison drove down to the Indian Creek 23, and following a first down run, Cline took a couple of knees to run out the clock giving the Wildcats a hard-fought victory.

“I am happy for our kids,” Collopy said. “It has been a tough week. There has been a lot of things going on. We did not have two kids tonight. They wore their jerseys. The rest of the kids played for them. We dedicated this win to them.

“Our offensive line did a great job. Our offensive line coaches – Coach (Jason) Fogle and Coach (Frank) Marcino our the best. We had one day to prepare. We had to get two kids ready to play, and they were able to do that.”

Neither team scored in the first quarter.

The Wildcats had a golden opportunity to get on the scoreboard on the opening drive of the game as the boys in black drove 49 yards from their own 39 to the Redskins’ 12, however, Cline’s pass intended for Cusick was intercepted in the end zone by Sam Coleman bringing the drive to a sudden halt.

Edison struck first in the second quarter.

Following an Indian Creek punt, the hosts drove 52 yards for the game’s first points as McClurg punched it in from the 2 giving Edison a 6-0 lead. Indian Creek blocked the extra point keeping its deficit at six points with 6:43 remaining in the quarter.

It appeared as if the Wildcats would take their six-point advantage into the locker room at halftime, however, disaster struck when Isaac Robinson intercepted an attempted throw back across the field by Cline, and the junior rumbled 40 yards for the touchdown tying the score at 6. Gavin Gross kicked the extra point giving Indian Creek a 7-6 lead with just 26 seconds left on the clock.

“That was my fault,” Collopy said. “We are aggressive. We were too aggressive there. The first thing I told the kids in the locker room was that was my fault. I told them they have to get ready for the second half.

“Our kids kept playing. They played for four quarters.”

The Wildcats outgained the Redskins, 245-157.

For Edison, Cline tallied 53 yards on the ground while also completing 8-of-14 passes for 83 yards.

Six receivers caught at least one pass for the Wildcats. Matt Parsons snagged two receptions for a team-high 39 yards.

For Indian Creek, Powell completed all five of his passes for 64 yards.

CJ Spencer produced 44 yards on eight carries to lead the way on the ground for Indian Creek, while Robinson netted 30 yards on seven carries.

The Redskins fumbled three times, losing one.

The game was Indian Creek’s final one this season.

Edison on the other hand lives to play another day as the Wildcats will be playing in a playoff game at 7 p.m. Saturday night.

As of press time, Edison is unofficially in ninth place in the rankings. The top eight teams get a home game.