Pictured L-R: Maranatha & Rio Hondo Prep Coaches, Rand Holdren & Mark Carson

Football:

Two of the San Gabriel Valley area’s best small schools meet up on Saturday night at 7.

And regardless of size, they also happen to be two of the most successful area football programs of late.

In fact, since 2022, Rio Hondo Prep and Maranatha have 23 and 22 victories, respectively, which ranks No. 1 and No. 2 among the 30 teams this site covers.

RHP and MHS also share an 85-percent success rate over that same stretch, which is tops for 210 Prep Sports football programs.

Maranatha will take a 15-mile bus ride to Kare Park in Irwindale that begins in Pasadena on the 210 east and ends shortly after a right turn onto the 605 south.

Because of their numbers, the Minutemen and Kares have to rely as heavily on the cerebral nature of the game as they do the raw physical talent of their athletes.

The two men that will lead them into battle, Maranatha’s Rand Holdren and Rio Hondo Prep’s Mark Carson, are young and respected students of the game.

Both men spend an inordinate amount of time putting together a game plan that gives MHS and RHP its best chance to win each and every week.

And with that said, Holdren and the Minutemen accept and embrace the fact that they’ll enter Saturday’s showdown as the decided underdogs.

Through the first two games of 2024, RHP has scored 120 points against Francis Parker of La Jolla and Pasadena Poly, while Maranatha totaled 69 points in wins over Lakeside and Fullerton.

Both programs have surrendered 47 total points in 2024.

(Pictured L-R: MHS & RHP’s Miles O’Malley & Nate Curtis)

While RHP has four running backs at or near the 1oo-yard mark through the first two games, MHS has this site’s only 4,000-yard career rusher in Miles O’Malley.

O’Malley is averaging just under 200 rushing yards per game and he’s tallied 54 career rushing TD’s.

Last week in a 35-21 victory over Fullerton, O’Malley rushed for 230 yards and scored three times.

O’Malley has 383 of Maranatha’s 403 rushing yards this season.

For the Kares, Noah Penunuri and Nate Curtis, the 2023 Football Players of the Year for this site, combined to rush for nearly 2,400 yards en route to a CIF-SS Division 9 championship, and that included 30 TD’s.

Curtis also had 589 receiving yards and six TD catches.

In a couple of blowout victories thus far, none of the RHP backs have more than 10 carries.

Caeden Holcomb leads the way with 106 yards on eight carries and two TD’s, and he’s followed closely by Nathaniel Shine (10-104-2 TD), Noah Penunuri (9-94-4 TD) and Nate Curtis (8-80-0 TD).

Maranatha puts the ball in the air far more often than Rio Hondo Prep.

Luke McNulty has completed 30 of 49 for 392 yards.

McNulty has tossed six TD passes and one interception.

RHP’s Yanick Diaz is 8-of-13 for 226 yards, including four TD’s and no picks.

Niko Vergara’s 11 receptions is one less than the entire Kares receiving corps.

Vergara has 214 receiving yards and four TD’s.

Curtis leads RHP with three catches for 105 yards, which includes a 70-yard TD catch last Saturday at Poly.

Defensively, MHS’ Nick Goodman and Niko Vergara have 25 tackles apiece, and that’s 14 more than Andy Xu, who leads the Kares with 11 tackles.

You don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar to understand the RHP game plan.

The Kares have enjoyed success for a number of reasons, but none greater than an ability to own the time of possession battle because of their ground game.

I asked Maranatha coach Holdren to answer the following: Is it fair to say you’re the underdogs, and if so, why? What is key to beating a disciplined team like RHP? Do you consider Penunuri and Curtis key to stopping the RHP offense? What has to go well for MHS to leave Irwindale on Saturday night as the winner? Will MHS’ passing and running games (McNulty & O’Malley) need to be balanced to have success?

Said Coach Holdren: “It’s definitely a fair statement and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t think we are underdogs. My guess is, according to the Calpreps rankings, we are probably three-touchdown underdogs. They were CIF champions in Division 9 last year and we got bounced in the first round of Division 11. There is a significant difference in those divisions. There is zero debate on our end that we are the underdog. We just got to do us. We just battled a gigantic lumbering Fullerton team and now we are swinging to the other side of the spectrum with a more svelte nimble team in Rio.

Penunuri is fun to watch with a high motor who appears to be given free reign while also staying disciplined in the process. But for us, what makes Rio dangerous is their ability to work as a unit. Their offensive line is clearly in unison and on defense, they have 11 hats to the ball and all understand where they are supposed to be. They are a well-coached team that executes their jobs in the spots that matter. We’ll need to play a complete football game from top to bottom. Rio hasn’t played a full game yet this year, so we are hoping to test them all the way through four quarters. We are going to run our offense and stick with what is working. It usually shakes out around 50/50.”

I asked RHP’s Carson: What is key in beating MHS? Do you have to plan to focus most of your game plan on stopping a 4,00o-yard career rusher in Miles O’Malley or is Luke McNulty and his arm close to as dangerous for an opponent? I know it’s no secret, but in your words, what does RHP need to do well on Sat to leave Kare Park as the winner? What does Maranatha do well? Is there anything that’s happened in your first two games that you’d like to eliminate for Saturday’s game?

Said Coach Carson: “They’re a very dynamic offense with O’Malley running the ball, and a quarterback like Luke McNulty, and their receiving corps that make them extremely versatile. You can’t focus on one. You have to try to stop both. You can’t just sell out and try and stop the run, because McNulty will kill you. O’Malley is fast and elusive and he’s going to be a challenge for any Maranatha opponent. Coach Holdren does a great job, and they are obviously a well-coached and discipline team that tackles well. Their linebackers are really good. We want to be able to throw the ball more, and it’s something we’re working on, because everyone keys on the run. If we want to go deep in the playoffs, we think we need to be more balanced offensively and it’s something we’re working on. Yanick Diaz has been effective as quarterback so far and we’re encouraged with what we’re seeing.”

Matt Heersema, a 2003 RHP grad and former Kares quarterback, hosts the “Charge to Keep” podcast, and he spoke with Maranatha Coach Holdren. The Holdren interview begins at the 17:55 mark.

Please follow @ChargetoKeep on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

By the Numbers:
Enrollment: M (524, grades 9-12); R (180, grades 7-12)
Records: M (2-0); R (2-0)
Records, 2022-2024: M (22-3-1); R (23-4)
Winning Percentage Since 2022: M (85); R (85)
Best CIF Finish, 2022-2024: M (2022 D-13 semifinalist); R (2023 D-9 champs)
Points Scored: M (69); R (120)
Points Allowed: M (47); R (47)
Average Margin of Victory: M (35-23); R (60-23)
Passing Yards: M (392); R (281)
Passing Yards Per Game: M (192); R (140)
Passing TD’s: M (6); R (6)
Rushing Yards: M (403); R (629)
Rushing Yards Per Game: M (201); R (315)
Rushing TD’s: M (6); R (10)
MaxPreps State Ranking: M (453); R (265)

Passing Leaders:
Luke McNulty (M): 30 of 49 for 392 yards, 6 TD’s & 1 INT
Yanick Diaz (R): 8-13-226-4 TD & 0 INT
Landry Johnson (R): 4-5-55-2 TD & 0 INT

Rushing:
Miles O’Malley (M): 33 carries for 383 yards & four TD’s
Caeden Holcomb (R): 8-106 & 2 TD’s
Nathaniel Shine (R): 10-104 & 2 TD’s
Noah Penunuri (R): 9-94 & 4 TD’s
Nate Curtis (R): 8-80 & 0 TD’s

Receiving:
Niko Vergara (M): 11 catches for 214 yards & 4 TD’s
Luke Hanrahan (M): 6-97 & 1 TD
Bradley Loiacono (M): 7-55 & 0 TD
Tim O’Brien (M): 5-27 & 1 TD
Nate Curtis (R): 3-105 & 1 TD
Tyler Dang (R): 3-65 & 1 TD
Elias Har (R): 2-29 & 1 TD
Noah Penunuri (R): 2-21 & 1 TD
Calogero Chino (R): 1-48 & 1 TD

Tackles:
Niko Vergara (M): 25
Nick Goodman (M): 25
Edward Balian (M): 14
Andy Xu (R): 11
Maxwell Gould (M): 9
Adrian Mendoza (R): 8
Christian Lee (R): 7
Calogero Chico (R): 6
Caeden Holcomb (R): 6
Zachary Burl (R): 5
Josh Curtis (R): 5

Interceptions:
Elias Har (M): 1
Andy Xu (R): 1
Bradley Loiacono (M): 1
Nick Goodman (M): 1

2024 Maranatha Schedule:
8/22: Maranatha 34, Lakeside 26
8/30: Maranatha 35, Fullerton 21
9/7: Maranatha vs Rio Hondo Prep at Kare Park in Irwindale

2024 Rio Hondo Prep Schedule:
8/22: Rio Hondo Prep 55, Francis Parker 28
8/31: Rio Hondo Prep 65, Poly 19
9/7: Maranatha vs Rio Hondo Prep at Kare Park in Irwindale