Photos by Susan Coulter & game info/stats from Harry Joe
Football:
No one knew for sure how Rio Hondo Prep would respond to the loss of their junior quarterback, Armando Carbajal.
Carbajal was injured in last week’s loss to Brentwood and is done for the year.
And he was the Kares’ statistical leader, and contributed mightily on both sides of the ball.
But don’t worry, they still have the University of Cal commit, Ryan McCulloch, who plays like a man amongst boys.
McCulloch scored all three TD’s in RHP’s 19-7 victory at Campbell Hall.
McCulloch had TD runs of 16, 54 and 25 yards, respectively.
He finished with 191 yards rushing on 23 carries.
Noah Penunuri rushed for 68 yards on 14 carries.
Kamar Mothudi’s 76-yard TD run with eight seconds left in the first quarter was Campbell Hall’s lone score of the night.
RHP out-rushed CH, 283-161, and had a 30-18 minute advantage in the time of possession battle.
But it wasn’t just on the offensive side of the ball that McCulloch did his damage.
On defense, McCulloch had seven tackles and three sacks.
Penunuri had 4.5 tackles, and Nate Curtis, Cody Nelson and Joshua Curtis had 2.5 tackles apiece for the Kares D.
Rio Hondo Prep secured the Gold Coast League’s No. 2 seed.
Quotable:
Rio Hondo coach, Mark Carson: “With everything on the line, our guys played their best game of the season. We’re so proud of them. Ryan had one of the most dominant performances I can remember from a two-way player. He was incredible.”
Rio Hondo Prep senior, Ryan McCulloch: “The loss of Armando meant a lot, but I’m proud of my guys for stepping up and that started with a great practice on Wednesday night. I felt as a team we needed to just be sharper and execute better on both sides of the ball and we did that. We are confident going into playoffs and convinced we could have a good run as long as we stay disciplined and play with heart and passion!”
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Box Score:
RHP: 7-0-12-0-(19)
CH: 7-0-0-0-(7)
Scoring:
RHP: Ryan McCulloch 16 run (Marco Chan kick)
CH: Kamar Mothudi 76 run (Antonio Liuzzo-Scorpo kick)
RHP: Ryan McCulloch 54 run (kick blocked)
RHP: Ryan McCulloch 25 run (kick failed)
Gold Coast League Scores:
Brentwood 42, Viewpoint 0
Rio Hondo Prep 19, Campbell Hall 7
Gold Coast League Standings:
Brentwood (8-2 overall, 3-0 in league)
Rio Hondo Prep (8-1, 2-1)
Campbell Hall (8-2, 1-2)
Viewpoint (2-8, 1-2)
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