Thanks to Harry Joe for the game info/stats & Matt Heersema & Tim Lunney for the photos
Football:
For only the second time this season, Rio Hondo Prep trailed in a football game.
The first was a week-five (28-21) loss at Torrance.
And on Friday, ML King led 7-0 after taking their first drive to paydirt.
Unfortunately for the Wolves, the Kares defense is pretty stingy, and that would be all they would allow.
RHP claimed a 28-7 victory in Riverside to secure a CIF-SS Division 7 semifinal round appearance next week at Kare Park.
In the last two years alone, Rio Hondo Prep is 6-0 in CIF-SS playoff games, and five of the six were road victories.
But back to Friday night.
Trailing 7-0 with 2:30 remaining in the first quarter, Nate Curtis got RHP even with his 7-yard TD run.
Fast forward nearly 14 minutes of game clock and RHP coach Mark Carson said he was just looking for a first down.
The game was tied at 7-7 with 39 seconds on the clock, and the Kares would get the ball to start the second half.
Noah Penunuri was thinking bigger, as the junior scored on a 67-yard TD run to give Rio Hondo Prep a huge shot in the arm.
With 2:08 gone by in the third period, Penunuri stretched the lead to 21-7, thanks to a 15-yard TD run.
The RHP defense came up big again, as ML King failed to score after starting a drive at the Kares 6-yard line.
Rainn Pollock, who never gets his fair share of the credit had a big night.
Pollock flipped the field on more than one occasion with his punts, and he also intercepted Noah Cuenca with 5:29 left in the game and brought it back 30 yards for a pick-six.
RHP had a 318-135 advantage in rushing, but ML King had 117 passing yards to zero for the Kares.
The Wolves actually edged the Kares in first downs, 14-13.
Penunuri had a monster game with 232 yards on 24 carries.
And that obviously included the TD runs on 67 and 15 yards.
Curtis gained 73 yards on 11 carries.
And it was the senior’s 7-yard TD run that pulled the Kares even with the Wolves at 7-7.
Both programs played with a significant amount of discipline.
King was flagged three times for 20 yards, and the Kares were penalized four times for 35 yards.
Derek Conn led the Wolves with 78 yards rushing on 14 carries, and Brian Robinson carried the ball 11 times for 62 yards, including the 21-yard TD run in the first quarter.
Caeden Holcomb had a monster game with 12 tackles.
Penunuri finished with 10 tackles, and Josh Curtis had eight.
Tyler Dang and Andy Xu tallied seven tackles apiece, while Calogero Chico had six.
Up next: The Kares will host West Torrance on Friday at 7.
The Warriors (10-2) claimed a 44-28 victory over Oak Park.
In the MaxPreps state rankings, WTHS is 230th and RHP is ranked 188th.
Quotable:
Rio Hondo Prep coach, Mark Carson: “King had two different quarterbacks and that posed a unique challenge for us as we prepared for this game. One was more of a passer and the other was a stronger runner. They scored on their first drive, but our defense stood tall the rest of the way, including a goal-line stand and after we turned the ball over twice. We are so proud of our defense, and they deserve more credit than they get. The score was tied 7-7 late in the first half, and we were just looking to get a first down, but Noah Penunuri broke off a 67-yard TD to give us the lead. Rainn Pollock had a huge pick-six to seal the victory, and he flipped the field twice on a couple of key punts.”
Box Score:
RHP: 7-7-7-7-(28)
MLK: 7-0-0-0-(7)
Scoring:
MLK: Brian Robinson 21 run (Lucas Akutagawa kick)
RHP: Nate Curtis 7 run (Marco Chan kick)
RHP: Noah Penunuri 67 run (Marco Chan kick)
RHP: Noah Penunuri 15 run (Marco Chan kick)
RHP: Rainn Pollock 30 interception return (Marco Chan kick)
Records: Rio Hondo Prep (10-1); ML King (8-4)
CIF-SS Division 7 Quarterfinal Scores:
West Torrance 44, Oak Park 28
Rio Hondo Prep 28, ML King 7
Warren 40, Golden Valley 14
Peninsula 7, Yucaipa 3
D-7 Semifinal Schedule:
West Torrance at RHP
Warren at Peninsula
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