By Tim Peterson
(Baldwin Park) – Rio Hondo Prep rushed for 463 yards and six touchdowns and ran over West Torrance 42-21 in the process at Kare Park Friday night in the CIF Division 7 Semi-Finals. The Kares earned a trip to their second consecutive CIF Championship game with the resounding victory.
Noah Penunuri and Nate Curtis did the most damage combining for 341 yards and five scores. Penunuri piled up 223 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries and Curtis had 118 and 3 scores on 12 carries. Caeden Holcomb bulled his way for 92 yards and also added a score.
Last week in a win over ML King the Kares threw the ball once. Against West Torrance quarterback Yanick Diaz put it up three times and completed one pass and had one intercepted.
West Torrance stayed with Rio Hondo Prep in the first quarter but the Kares pulled away in the second quarter and put it away on the third.
Rio Hondo Prep got on the board first when Penunuri got to the corner and outran the West Torrance defense 60 yards for a touchdown.
The Kares turned it over on their next possession when Diaz was intercepted by Reef Sharman at the West Torrance 47. The Warriors cashed in driving 53 yards on nine plays with quarterback Eli Brandt scoring on a one-yard keeper to tie it at 7.
Rio Hondo Prep answered with a 68-yard drive. Curtis capped it with a two-yard touchdown run with 9:14 left in the second quarter for a 14-7 lead.
One the next series the Warriors led by Brandt, marched 69 yards on just four plays for the tying score. Brandt did it himself again with a five-yard run.
The Kares didn’t waste any time jumping back in front. Penunuri got his second score of the night on a one-yard jaunt to cap a 55-yard drive.
West Torrance was driving towards a potential tying score when the Kares turned the tables. Defensive Lineman Elijah Gavia stepped in front of a screen pass for a pick and returned it to the Warriors 42-yard line. From there the Kares moved the ball down to the three-yard line when on fourth down Curtis beat the defense to the corner and dove onto the endzone as the clock hit zeroes in the first half.
Instead of West Torrance tying the game or getting closer Rio Hondo Prep took a 28-14 lead into the half.
When the Kares scored again on their first possession of the third quarter on a 31-yard sprint by Curtis to make it 35-14 with 7:11 left in the third quarter, it wasn’t over but you could feel the wind coming out of the West Torrance sails. It was touchdown number three for Curtis that deflated the Warriors.
In the fourth quarter each team added a touchdown. Brandt hit Sharman on a 12-yard TD strike for West Torrance and Holcomb rumbled in from 13 yards out to finish a 49-yard march to round out the scoring.
For West Torrance Brandt threw for 203 yards and ran for 26 yards and two touchdowns. Sharman had five catches for 121 yards and a score but it wasn’t nearly enough to offset the Kares devastating running attack.
“It’s incredible. Huge credit to our fanbase. I just thank God for all the people that have supported us. It means the world to get back at this level, Division 7, we never thought we’d be here. Just a credit to our guys who grind every day,” said Rio Hondo Prep Coach Mark Carson.
Rio Hondo Prep, 11-1, which was on the road for six straight games dating back to last year before this game, will host the Division 7 Championship game next week at a site to be determined. West Torrance finished the season at 10-3 overall.
Leave a Reply