Flintridge Prep football dominates in eight-man opener
VAN NUYS — It was a brilliant beginning to a new era for the Flintridge Prep football team Friday evening.
The visiting Rebels scored the first 34 points of their zero week opener in their first game at the eight-man level since the 1990s en route to a 53-6 mercy-rule rout of a young Van Nuys Fulton Prep squad.
New coach Russell White witnessed his team force three fumbles, recover a botched punt and collect two safeties, while sophomore quarterback John Lytle tossed five touchdowns in his debut.
“I liked it all tonight, I must tell you,” White said. “It was exciting to watch them be excited about playing and watch my coaches and watch my team just out there going at it.
“I would lie if said I was surprised with the result. We put in the work over the summer, we did what we needed to do and be where we’re at, which is undefeated in the offseason.”
The Rebels defense was dominant in holding Fulton Prep to 15 yards of total offense and four first downs, three of which came via penalties or were aided by them.
The contest was over for all intents and purposes after the first half as the Rebels led, 36-6.
Flintridge Prep needed only two offensive plays to lead, 14-0, quickly in the first quarter.
Rebels linebacker Brian Lara had his hand in two early scores as the senior recovered two fumbles on the Jaguars’ five-yard line and 18 on the home team’s first two drives.
The first turnover was cashed in on a five-yard touchdown run from Kendall Kikkawa, while the second was punched in by Nate Gi from 18 yards on an uncontested rush up the gut as Flintridge Prep took a 14-0 lead barely five minutes into the game.
“Honestly, we had a lot stacked up against us,” Lara said. “We saw that three out of four people in the newspaper picked against us and that we were going to lose and we took that to heart. We were like, ‘OK, we’re here to prove them wrong.’”
Lytle then got into the act, hitting on three straight touchdown passes of five, 70 and 18 yards to Kikkawa, Beau Detchemendy and Nick Davis as the Rebels rolled to a 34-0 lead, which was aided by a fumble recovery from Jonathan Au.
“It was a lot of fun out there to start off well,” said Lytle, who completed 11 of 20 passes for 190 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. “I thought we played a good team. I don’t know what else to say, I’m speechless.”
Though Fulton Prep countered with its lone score on a Rebels’ fumble in the end zone recovered by George Galustyan, Flintridge Prep answered with a safety right before the half to go up, 36-6.
“Regardless of what the score is, you still have to go out and play,” White said. “They made adjustments in the second half, but so did we and we kept playing.”
Over the final 24 minutes, the Rebels added touchdown passes of 16 and 28 yards to Gi and Davis, who finished with four catches for 52 yards and two scores. Detchemendy led the squad in receiving with four catches for 85 yards and one touchdown.
Flintridge Prep also had one additional safety in the second half to cap the scoring.
