Prep talk: Unbeaten Rio Hondo Prep continues to beat the odds
Tiny Rio Hondo Prep won its 15th consecutive football game Saturday night, 26-21 over Solano Beach Santa Fe Christian to advance to the CIF state Division 2-A championship game next Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at Saddleback College against unbeaten Sonora (14-0).
What coach Mark Carson has been accomplishing would earn him a million-dollar contract if he were at the college level. The school of 82 boys, all of whom play football or work with the team, has kept moving up in divisions and now will be on the biggest stage as part of a tripleheader at Saddleback College.
Unbeaten Oxnard Pacifica will face Fresno East at 3:30 p.m., culminating in the Open Division final between Santa Margarita and De La Salle at 8 p.m.
The star for Rio Hondo Prep on Saturday was running back Christian Lee, who rushed for 122 yards and scored four touchdowns. Once again the Kares won without injured standout running back Noah Penunuri. They keep finding ways to win, just like when they captured the Southern Section Division 5 championship.
Last year Rio Hondo Prep lost in the 3-A final, 42-41 to Vanden in overtime.
Here are the scores from this weekendβs regional finals.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.