MidValleySports.Com

by Tim Peterson

(Carlsbad) – Christian Lee scored four times and the defense made the key stops to lead Rio Hondo Prep to a 26-21 win over Santa Fe Christian Saturday night in the CIF Division 2A State Regional Bowl at Carlsbad High.

The Kares have been rolling over everyone in their path in the playoffs but Santa Fe Christian was a different animal. The Eagles were in the fight until the end but for the 15th straight game this season Rio Hondo Prep came out on top.

The game was tied at 14 at the half but the Kares established control in the first possession of the third quarter. They embarked on a 12-play, 80-yard drive that chewed nearly seven minutes off of the clock. Lee finished it with a two-yard run. The extra point was blocked leaving the score at 20-14 with 5:41 left in the third quarter.

On the next possession Santa Fe Christian moved into a position to tie the game or take the lead marching all the way down to the Rio Hondo Prep five-yard line. But the Eagles fumbled a bad snap and Elijah Gavia fell on it for the Kares at the seven-yard line to extinguish the threat.

The Kares eventually had to punt after driving to the 43-yard line but they ate up more precious minutes off of the clock and with only 3:46 left in the fourth quarter Santa Fe Christian took over at its own 20.

Then disaster struck for Santa Fe Christian. A sack and yet another bad snap left the Eagles at their own four-yard. The Eagles went for it on fourth down from that spot and were stymied as quarterback Dax Labrum threw an incomplete pass. First down Rio Hondo Prep at the Santa Fe Christian four.

On the next play Lee had his fourth touchdown of the night as he blasted though the Eagles line with 2:06 left to ice it. The Kares missed on a two-point conversion but at 26-14 it looked like game, set, match.

Santa Fe offered one last murmur of protest when Chase Woolley hauled in a six-yard touchdown pass from Labrum to cut the lead to 26-21 with 57 ticks left. The onside kick went out of bounds, the Kares took over and that was all she wrote.

The Eagles got on the board first with a 16-play, 85-yard drive to open the game. Lincoln Mundis scored from five yards out.

Rio responded with nine-play, 80-yard march of its own with Lee finding the endzone on a one-yard plunge early in the second quarter.

Calogero Chico intercepted a pass on the next possession to set up the Kares again on the Santa Fe 32. Three plays and a couple of penalties later, Lee ran in from the five to give Rio Hondo a 14-7 lead.

The Eagles got even with just 18 seconds left in the first half when Brady Berg caught a two-yard touchdown strike from Labrum.

The Kares scored to open the third to take the lead for good.

For Rio Hondo Prep Lee ran for 103 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries. Nathaniel Shine had 113 yards on 14 carries as the Kares rushed for 278 yards overall. They only attempted one pass – an incomplete pass to end the first half.

Santa Fe Christian suffered its first loss of the season finishing 13-1 with a CIF Title. Rio Hondo Prep is now 15-0 and will try to complete the perfect season next week in the State Finals.

RHP 0 14 6 6 26

SFC 7 7 0 6 21