Football:
What a finish to an unprecedented year and season.
Rio Hondo Prep saw some late-game dramatics go their way, and the Kares defeated rival, Pasadena Poly, 8-7, at the Rose Bowl.
Trailing 7-0 with just over two minutes to play, RHP quarterback Jack Van Cleve snuck in from one yard out.
Instead of playing it safe, RHP coach Mark Carson decided to go for it, and Ryan McCulloch made it pay off, scoring on the short run to give the Kares an 8-7 lead.
The RHP sophomore wasn’t done yet.
Poly drove down and attempted an approximate 35-yard field goal to potentially claim a walk-off victory, but McCulloch blocked the attempt and the Kares left the Rose Bowl with an 8-7 victory.
Jonathan Guerrero actually out-rushed the entire Poly backfield on Thursday.
Guerrero carried the ball 27 times for 137 yards.
As a team, the Panthers rushed for 121 yards, with Mattias Olson leading the way with 66 yards on nine carries.
McCulloch gained 64 yards on nine carries for RHP.
Gio Ortega played hurt, but the star junior had a game-high six catches for 60 yards.
Ryan Olivas had a 23-yard reception in the win.
The Kares turned the ball over four times, to just two for the Panthers.
Van Cleve went 7 of 18 for 83 yards and was picked once.
His counterpart, Colin Mathews, completed 10 of 21 pass attempts for 62 yards.
Quotable:
Rio Hondo Prep coach, Mark Carson: “Our young men at Rio, like a lot of young men throughout the state, have had to deal with disappointment after disappointment in regards to their football season. It would’ve been easy to quit, and frankly who could’ve blamed them. But, they didn’t. They stuck together and kept working even when it seemed hopeless. I’m grateful that they were rewarded with a mini-season capped by an epic win over Poly at the Rose Bowl. The defense played awesome. Our LBs led by Jayden Sanchez were phenomenal. The D-line was great as well. Ryan McCulloch and Brandon Davis totally disrupted Poly’s offense. Our program’s focus is on character and growth, and these guys exemplified that. They’ll take this year-long experience and and use what they learned from it the rest of their lives.”
Box Score:
RHP: 0-0-0-8-(8)
PP: 0-7-0-0-(7)
Scoring:
PP: Sam Howell 4 run (Connor Boyle kick)
RHP: Jack Van Cleve 1 run (Ryan McCulloch run)
Records: Rio Hondo Prep (3-0); Pasadena Poly (0-1)
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