Rio Hondo Prep won the CIF Division 9 championship last year but they didn’t win the Gold Coast League. That distinction went to Bentwood who went 3-0 in league and 9-3 overall. The Kares only lost two games all year, one those to Brentwood and the other in a State playoff game.
Rio Hondo Prep returns several key players on both sides of the ball. Head Coach Mark Carson loves to run the ball and has three running backs returning. Brentwood will be right there again bringing back 5 offensive starters and 4 starters on defense. Viewpoint went 6-4 last season but 1-2 in league and missed the playoffs. The Patriots do have their quarterback and running back returning. The Gold Coast is now down to three teams with Campbell Hall dropping the football program.
Rio Hondo Prep returns running backs Noah Penunuri (1,411 yards, 18 touchdowns) and Caeden Holcomb (509 yards, 11 touchdowns). Both were All-CIF last season. Junior Yanick Diaz will be the first-year quarterback
On defense the Curtis brothers, Nate and Josh are both back. Josh Curtis is an All-CIF cornerback while Nate Curtis will play strong safety where he was named the Gold Coast League Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. Curtis (Nate) also runs the ball and rushed for 970 yards and 12 TDs a year ago.
“Fall camp has been good so far but we have a ways to go. We return a good core of players from our championship team, which means the expectations are high and we like that. It should be a fun year,” Carson said.
Brentwood returns 9 players overall on offense and defense from a team that made it to the second round of the playoffs. Addison Sterling will be key as he plays on both sides of the ball at running back and linebacker. Senior Ryder Brownstein will line up at wide receiver and junior Jack Kripke will be up front on the offensive and defensive lines.
Brentwood will be the pushing Rio Hondo Prep for the Gold Coast crown. The Eagles will travel to Rio Hondo Prep to battle the Kares in the last regular season game of the year on October 25 which could be for the whole enchilada.
Viewpoint should be fine at the skill positions. Quarterback Connor Eagan, who threw for 1,075 yards and 5 touchdowns is back behind center and running back Seth Forrester will carry the rock. Last season he lugged it for 773 yards and 7 TDs. Forrester can catch passes out of the backfield as well. He had 181 yards receiving in ’23.
Karson Papotta (cool name), who had 59 tackles last season, will anchor the defensive unit. The Patriots lost to both Rio Hondo Prep and Brentwood last season. In only a three-team league they can’t let that happen again.
Projected Order of Finish:
- Rio Hondo Prep – is Rio Hondo Prep the new Tailback U?
- Brentwood – Plenty of players returning.
- Viewpoint – Patriots need a league win.
Loading ...
Leave a Reply