Flintridge Prep football rallies past rival Chadwick
LA CAÑADA — A spectacular second half for the Flintridge Prep football team ended its regular season on a high note, as it earned a win over rival Chadwick and likely solidified a playoff berth.
The Rebels trailed by double digits going into halftime, but dominated and had all the energy thereafter, with big plays on offense, defense and special teams to secure a thrilling 39-36 victory in eight-man football on Friday on homecoming night at Flintridge Prep.
“We knew we were in it,” said Rebels running back Danny Chiarodit, who had three rushing touchdowns and 207 yards in 29 carries. “First half, we were making mistakes we normally don’t, but we were comfortable and confident because we’ve been there before. We started executing and I’m just really proud of this team.”
It didn’t look like it’d be a second half to remember after Chadwick’s Nick Benson took the first play of the third quarter and ran it 65 yards for a touchdown to increase the Dolphins lead to 30-13.
The Rebels (5-3) didn’t waste much time responding, as quarterback John Lytle found Beau Detchemendy for a 22-yard touchdown.
Flintridge Prep recovered the ensuing kickoff and Chiarodit cashed that in with another touchdown. Not two minutes after giving up what looked like a backbreaking touchdown, the Rebels were within three after scoring 14 points in a blink of an eye.
Lytle and Detchemendy hooked up again for a 26-yard strike to give the Rebels their first lead since scoring the game’s opening touchdown midway through the first quarter. Detchemendy, who caught six passes for 89 yards and a pair of touchdowns, fought off the cornerback on the play to get good position and secure the touchdown reception.
Flintridge Prep’s defense prevented Chadwick from gaining any momentum in the second half. Will Tayback’s fumble recovery on the ensuing possession of Detchemendy’s second touchdown was one highlight of a 24-minute frame in which the Dolphins totaled just 54 yards of offense after Benson’s dash towards the end zone.
Chiarodit gave Flintridge Prep some breathing room with a 55-yard touchdown run to give the Rebels a 39-30 cushion with 6:07 left to play.
Ejaay De Vaughn brought the Dolphins to within three again with one of his four touchdowns at the 2:54 mark. The senior finished with 151 yards on the ground.
Unfortunately for Chadwick, they wouldn’t gain another yard over, as Lytle kneeled and sparked the jubilation.
“We’ve always been a second half team,” Rebels Coach Russell White said. “We cleaned up some things and made it what it is. We did what we needed to do, hung in there, and came out victorious.”
The mistakes White alluded to included not recovering two onside kicks, throwing two interceptions and giving up a fumble — all in the first half in which the Rebels trailed by 11, despite gaining more yards on offense than Chadwick (199-160).
But against a Chadwick team it hadn’t faced since 2013, the Rebels were able to turn it around. Chiarodit, for one, made sure of it.
“I told him, ‘Look here, young man, we’re going to ride you until we can’t,’” White said. “He had one hell of a performance.”
Flintridge Prep’s passing game complemented well, with Lytle completing 18 of 33 attempts for 178 yards and the two touchdowns to Detchemendy along with one to Kendall Kikkawa, which gave the Rebels a 7-0 lead.
Vaughn and Chadwick answered with 16 unanswered points and looked to have all the momentum after two quarters.
“It’s motivating,” said White when asked about the playoff implications. “If we go into the playoffs with a win and maybe go up a notch or two then great. We wanted it for us. I told the team this was our championship.”
The Rebels will find out if they earned an at-large berth when the CIF Southern Section releases the playoff brackets Sunday night.