Edison Linemen Get Attention : Prep football: College recruiters are keeping their eyes on tackles Murphy and Roberts.

HUNTINGTON BEACH — The list of outstanding offensive players produced at Edison High School in the last 25 years reads like a who’s who of Orange County high school football.

Former running backs include Kerwin Bell (Kansas), Mike Dotterer (Stanford), Dave Geroux (USC) and Kaleaph Carter (UCLA).

Former quarterbacks include Rick Bashore (UCLA), Steve Rakhashani (Hawaii), Frank Seurer (Kansas), Ken Major (Rice) and Edison’s current coach, Dave White (Oregon State).

Among Edison’s fine receivers were Rick DiBernardo (Notre Dame), Mark Boyer (USC), Duaine Jackson (USC), Steve Hines (San Jose State) and Rick Justice (Boise State).

So it’s interesting that this season’s edition is “The No-Name Offense,” lacking a star player at quarterback, running back or receiver.

Instead, the players who are drawing the attention of college recruiters toil in obscurity on Friday nights. Seniors Kyle Murphy and George Roberts may be two of the best players whose names you rarely read in a game story, but the 6-foot-4, 250-pound tackles are high on recruiting lists.

Murphy will start at right tackle and Roberts at left when Edison opens Sunset League play against Servite at 7:30 tonight at Cal State Fullerton.

“They’re our twin towers,” Edison line coach Harry Schmidt said. “It’s unfair to compare them because they’re so different. Kyle is a very intelligent player who has better form and technique than George. But George is a much more aggressive player than Kyle and his aggressiveness makes up for his lack of style.”

Schmidt said Murphy and Roberts are the best pair of tackles at Edison since 1988 when Chris Lippincott (California) and Greg Thurston (Arizona State) helped the Chargers finish second behind Fountain Valley in the Sunset League.

Murphy arrived in August, 1990. He transferred to Edison from Benson High in Portland, Ore., after his stepfather, Peter, was named a news anchorman for Orange County Newschannel in Santa Ana. He quickly learned that the caliber of football in California is different than in Oregon.

“You have much more extensive off-season weightlifting and running programs here,” Murphy said. “The programs are year-round and you have the summer passing leagues. Football is definitely taken more seriously here.”

Murphy made friends quickly and also abruptly changed the personnel on the Chargers’ offensive line with his arrival.

“I can remember our tackle, Adam Perez, taking one look at Kyle on the first day of practice and saying, ‘I think I’ll be moving to guard,’ ” Roberts recalled.

Perez’s prediction was correct. Murphy became a fixture at right tackle for Edison’s sophomore team that finished 9-1 in 1990 and has started for the varsity the last two seasons.

It was shortly after his sophomore season that Murphy became aware he could play on the college level. He quit the baseball program and intensified his off-season weightlifting. He also focused on academics.

“Improving my grades was something that Coach White really emphasized,” Murphy said. “I started taking everything seriously.”

Today, Murphy has a 3.1 grade-point average in college preparatory courses. He scored 940 on his Scholastic Aptitude Test.

Among the major colleges vying for Murphy are Washington, Oregon, San Diego State, Colorado, Arizona State, Colorado State, Utah State, Duke and Nevada Las Vegas. He plans to major in sports medicine or journalism.

Roberts is a quiet player off the field. He has a larger upper body then Murphy and has more strength and is a step quicker. Roberts considers pass blocking his forte.

“I think all the attention that Kyle attracted early has really helped George,” White said. “The recruiters have come to watch Kyle and some of them end up asking, ‘Who’s that kid?’ George has exceeded all of our expectations.”

Roberts spent the summer lifting weights two hours a day, five days a week and then attended Terry Donahue’s football camp at UCLA.

He is also an honor student, with a 3.0 GPA, and lists Nevada Las Vegas, San Diego State, Colorado, Colorado State, Fresno State and Utah State among his college choices.

He plans to major in business or criminology.

Despite their individual talents, Murphy and Roberts credit a close relationship among the linemen on and off the field as a major reason for their success.

“We’re all good friends,” Murphy said. “We practice together, watch film together and lift together. Coach Schmidt suggested that we needed to become a closer-knit group this year and it shows on the field.”

Said Roberts, “We have all known each other for a long time. We’ve all been playing together since we were sophomores. We’ve been pointing to this season for three years.”