Game info by Harry Joe & photos courtesy of Jeff Serpa
Football:
The greatest season in Rio Hondo Prep history will continue for one final and historic game.
The Kares drove 92 miles to Carlsbad on Saturday, and they secured a 26-21 victory over Santa Fe Christian in the CIF State D-2A So Cal Regional playoffs
It’s their second So Cal Regional win in as many seasons.
A pair of Eagles’ turnovers played a huge role in their downfall.
RHP led 26-14 when Chase Woolley scored on a 6-yard TD pass from Dax Labrum with just 57 seconds remaining in a showdown of unbeatens.
And talk about a battle of diametrically opposite offensive approaches.
The Eagles had a 243-0 advantage through the air, and the Kares ground game accounted for all 263 yards of their total offense, as compared to just 38 for SFCHS.
Without the services of a healthy Noah Penunuri, the Kares all-time leading rusher, Nathaniel Shine and Christian Lee put the boys from Arcadia on their backs.
Shine gained a game-high 117 yards on 14 carries.
And Lee rushed for 102 yards on 15 touches.
Lee scored all four RHP touchdowns on Saturday night.
The Kares junior had TD runs of 1 and 5 yards in the second quarter.
With the game tied at 14-14, and with one second remaining in the third quarter, Lee rumbled in from two yards out.
Rio Hondo Prep’s lead was 20-14 after the extra point attempt was blocked.
And for all intents and purposes, Lee’s 4-yard TD run with 2:06 to play all but secured a record 15th win for the most successful class (2026) in program history.
RHP had a seven-minute advantage in the time of possession battle thanks to their success on the ground.
Calogero Chico gained 34 yards on two carries, and Deven Gomez carried the ball two times for 14 yards.
Penunuri gave it a go, but the reigning two-time 210 Prep Sports Football Player of the Year got one carry for five yards.
Yanick Diaz attempted just one pass on Saturday.
The story of this playoff run continues to be the Kares defense.
For the fourth week in a row, RHP held an opposing offense to at least 14 points under their weekly scoring average.
Since the CIF-SS Division 5 quarterfinals, the Rio Hondo Prep ‘D’ has frustrated the Troy, La Serna, Redondo Union and Santa Fe Christian offenses to the tune of 87 fewer points than each of these four programs had become accustomed to scoring throughout their 2025 seasons.
Labrum completed 26-of-36 for 243 yards, including a pair of TD passes.
Along with the last-minute scoring connection with Chase Woolley, Labrum hit Brady Berg on a 2-yard TD pass with 18 seconds remaining in the first half and a 14-14 tie.
Labrum was also picked by RHP’s Calogero Chico.
Lincoln Mundis got the Eagles on the board with his 1-yard TD run at the
Wooley led the SFCHS ground game with 15 yards on one carry.
He also caught 11 passes for 99 yards.
Jairus Bolden (4-for-43), Cruz Campbell (4-for-37), Brodie Stuart (3-for-29), Bradan Scott (2-for-22) and Brady Berg (2-for-13) combined to reel in 15 passes for 144 yards.
Troy Seto and Aiden Delgadillo dominated for the Kares defense.
Seto had a game-high 10 tackles and a sack, and Delgadillo finished with eight tackles.
Calogero Chico and Christian Lee tallied six tackles apiece, and Tyler Dang chipped in with five tackles.
Adrian Mendoza and Ethan Lo had three apiece, and Lo registered a 10-yard sack of Labrum.
Rio Hondo Prep’s unsung hero, two-way starter Elijah Gavia, totaled two tackles and a fumble recovery.
Up next: The Kares will face Sonora next Saturday at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo for the D-2A state championship.
The undefeated Wildcats (14-0) dropped a 40-14 beatdown on Woodcreek in their regional contest.
Last season, Rio Hondo Prep was denied the program’s first state title after a 42-41 loss in overtime to Vanden.
Quotable:
RHP coach, Mark Carson: “We beat a really good football team in Santa Fe Christian, and it took a total team effort. We kept pounding them with Nathaniel Shine and Christian Lee behind great play once again from our O-line. Our defense made them earn everything and made the big plays in key moments.”
To view a photo gallery by Jeff Serpa, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook
If you don’t have Facebook, click on this link: Jeff Serpa’s Photo Gallery of Rio Hondo Prep’s 26-21 Victory at Santa Fe Christian to Secure a CIF State D-2A So Cal Regional Title – Welcome
To view a photo gallery by Tim Lunney, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook
For those without Facebook, click here to view Tm Lunney’s gallery: Tim Lunney’s Photo Gallery of the CIF State Division 2A Southern California Regional Champions from Rio Hondo Prep – Welcome
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Box Score:
RHP: 0-14-6-6-(26)
SFC: 7-7-0-7-(21)
Scoring:
S: Lincoln Mundis 1 run (Bradan Scott kick)
R: Christian Lee 1 run (Easton Jara kick)
R: Christian Lee 5 run (Easton Jara kick)
S: Brady Berg 2 pass from Dax Labrum (Bradan Scott kick)
R: Christian Lee 2 run (kick blocked)
R: Christian Lee 4 run (run failed)
S: Chase Woolley 6 pass from Dax Labrum (Bradan Scott kick)
Records: Rio Hondo Prep (15-0); Santa Fe Christian (13-1)
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