Photos by Susan Coulter & game info & stats by Harry Joe
Football:
A few weeks before the 2022 season kicked off, this reporter met up with RHP coach Mark Carson, and his two-way star, Ryan McCulloch, at the Arcadia school.
Both Carson and McCulloch acknowledged the loss of several key players that graduated in 2022, and that instead of blowing teams out as they had been accustomed to, the Kares would be in a number of competitive games.
And if week one is any indication, they were right.
RHP took a nine-point lead into the half and claimed a 29-6 victory.
Don’t get this wrong, RHP won by a comfortable margin, it’s just not the 50-point blowouts that stacked up week after week in recent years.
McCulloch scored on TD runs of six and 43 yards.
McCulloch carried the ball 13 times for 178 yards, and that was four more than what nine El Monte backs combined to gain in Friday’s nonleague contest.
RHP had a 349-234 advantage in total offense, including a 293-174 disparity in rushing yards.
Noah Penunuri carried the ball 11 times for 79 yards, and he scored on a 2-point conversion run to give the Kares an 8-0 lead at 5:16 of the first quarter.
Anthony Hernandez scored on a 2-yard run to give RHP a 15-0 lead.
And Armando Carbajal capped the Kares scoring with a 3-yard TD run with 3:41 to play in the game.
Joshua Juarez led the El Monte rushing attack with 88 yards on 10 carries.
Saul Sanchez carried the ball eight times for 56 yards.
The Lions lone score came on a Jonathan Lopez 13-yard rushing TD halfway through the third quarter.
RHP had a 26-22 advantage (minutes) in the time of possession battle.
Nate Curtis had one catch for 29 yards.
Anthony Hernandez had two receptions for 27 yards, and he picked off a pass on defense.
Joshua Taflinger led the Kares with 7.5 tackles and that included an interception.
McCulloch had 6.5 tackles and he had both of RHP’s sacks.
Penunuri had six tackles to help secure win No. 1 for Rio Hondo Prep.
Up next: RHP will host Linfield Christian on Thursday night.
The Lions are 1-0 after a 41-7 victory over Loara.
And Linfield Christian will play tonight (Saturday, August 27th) against visiting Pacifica.
To view a six-pic photo gallery by Susan Coulter, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook
Quotable:
RHP coach, Mark Carson: “It was a good first win for a young team. Josh Taflinger set the tone with an interception, Anthony Hernandez also had a big pick. Our freshmen stood out. Penunuri, Gavia played both ways and were really good, and Ryan (McCulloch) was Ryan, making plays all over the field.”
Box Score:
EM: 0-0-6-0-(6)
RHP: 8-7-7-7-(29)
Scoring:
RHP: Ryan McCulloch 6 run (Noah Penunuri run)
RHP: Anthony Hernandez 2 run (Marco Chan kick)
EM: Jonathan Lopez 13 runs (run failed)
RHP: Ryan McCulloch 43 run (Marco Chan kick)
RHP: Armando Carbajal 3 run (Alex Mustain kick)
Records: El Monte (0-2); Rio Hondo Prep (1-0)
Photos and game info from Ryan Tomey Football: St. Francis’ quest for a CIF-SS Division 6 championship was thwarted by their visitors from Murrieta Mesa. The Rams found themselves in an 11-point hole in the first quarter at Jim Bonds Stadium. However, MMHS was able to edge SFHS, 31-28, after outscoring the Golden Knights, 28-14, […]
Thanks to Harry Joe for the game info and stats Football: It might sound like a broken record. However, to borrow lyrics from the great Canadian rock band, Rush, “a fact’s a fact from Nome to Rome.” And the fact is that Rio Hondo Prep used their recipe for success in yet another CIF-SS playoff […]
Photos by Carlo Montalbo (@Carlo.Montalbo on Instagram) Football: After the past two wins, you couldn’t blame Glendora or their fans if they believe in destiny. The Tartans opened with a 31-7 blowout victory at Agoura in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 6 playoffs. However, over the past two weeks, the Tartans have dug […]
Football: CIF-SS Semifinal Round Scores: Division 1: Mater Dei 36, Centennial Corona 7 St. John Bosco 20, Orange Lutheran 17 Division 2: Murrieta Valley 55, Oaks Christian 52 Newbury Park 20, Yorba Linda 14 Division 3: Edison 42, Vista Murrieta 14 Simi Valley 28, Loyola 25 Division 4: St. Bonaventure 20, Apple Valley 13 Pacifica […]
Girls Water Polo: West Covina is one victory away today from having a four-win week. The Bulldogs have defeated La Mirada (15-13), Pasadena (10-5) and Cerritos (15-4) on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. Deneli Salazar continued her dominant week with eight goals. Meagan Harris chipped in with three goals. Marisa Lemus had quite the game […]
Girls Basketball: La Salle improved to 2-0 after its 52-26 victory at Keppel. The Lancers pulled away in the second quarter after outscoring the Aztecs, 15-0. Aislin Tamez Torres had a game-high 18 points. Casey Higgins chipped in with 14 points. Kaden Cortes and Julianne Tan provided six points apiece in Thursday’s win. Alyssa Canizal […]
Photo by Underrated Media Girls Basketball: Los Osos and Flintridge Prep met up Thursday night at the Bonita Tip-Off challenge. The win would earn a spot in Saturday’s title game. And it was the Wolves that secured a championship game appearance with a 52-45 victory over the Grizzlies. Maddie Smith had a game-high 19 points […]
Girls Water Polo: West Covina picked up their third victory of the 2024-25 season in four tries. After a 9-2 loss to San Dimas in the season opener, the Bulldogs have now defeated Monrovia (17-13), La Mirada (15-13) and Pasadena (10-5). Deneli Salazar led the charge with five goals and four steals, continuing her streak […]
Girls Basketball: It’s unusual for a game to be considered ‘over’ after eight minutes of play. However, politically correct or not, Glendora put Anaheim away with a 22-0 first quarter. The Tartans cruised to a 57-26 victory at the La Mirada Tournament. Reagan (“Ronnie”) Herrmann had a game-high 17 points. Kamryn Kuo led both teams […]
