MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Peterson

Rio Hondo Prep – Head Coach: Mark Carson.

Rio Hondo Prep can’t wait to get started. Of course after winning three consecutive CIF championships that’s understandable. Yes, when the season kicks off on August 21 the Kares will be seeking their fourth straight CIF title. There’s a sentence I don’t get to write every day.

The Kares did graduate some key players from their championship runs including running back Noah Penunuri, who was the Mid Valley Sports Player of the Year in 2024, when he rushed for over 1,900 yards. But with the Kares it’s always next man up and it should be the same this season.

Christian Lee will replace Penunuri as the main man in the backfield. Last year as a junior he ran for 770 yards and 11 touchdowns averaging over seven yards per carry. Elias Har can tote the rock as well. Last season he had 120 yards rushing on 18 carries-over six yards a carry. Har can catch passes as well hauling in 11 passes a year ago for 261 yards and seven scores.

Donald Schefler, a junior, will step in quarterback for Yanick Diaz who graduated. The Kares should be fine up front with seniors Dorian Harrington and Julian Rodriguez manning the offensive line. Junior Isaiah Soto and sophomore Phillip Quezada are new for the Kares on the line but are expected to make contributions as well.

Defensively Troy Seto, son of Rio Hondo Prep assistant and former NFL and college coach Rocky Seto, will lead the charge at linebacker. Seto had 79 total tackles in 2025. Lee will also play defense at linebacker and he had 109 total tackles last season. Senior defensive backs Isaac Guzman and Aiden Delgadillo will also make contributions as well as defensive back Landon Scott.

In addition to Schefler at quarterback, other newcomers that are expected to play a role in the Kares success are RB/LB Matt Montez, WR/DB Carlo Castaneda, Linebacker Nathaniel Riley, DB/WR Joshua Fairley and LB/OL Caleb Brewer.

Rio Hondo Prep will again play in the three-team Gold Coast League with Brentwood School and Viewpoint. The Kares open the season at Schurr. They also have another key local matchup against Rowland at home on September 18. League play starts October 16 against Viewpoint with Brentwood scheduled for the following week. The Kares close the season with Desert Christian Academy on the road.

The thing that really stands out about Rio Hondo Prep’s three-year run is that they have increased by two divisions each year and the Kares just keep on winning. They went from Division 9 to Division 7 to Division 5 last year to win their third straight crown.

What’s in store for Mark Carson’s troops this year? We’ll soon find out but we know they will be looking four-ward to it.

Tim Peterson can be reached at tim.midvalleysports@gmailcom or on Twitter (X) @tspeterson40. Facebook-Tim Peterson