Flintridge Prep football falls in league opener to Rio Hondo Prep
LOS ANGELES — A spirited showing in the second half by the Flintridge Prep football team wasn’t enough to nullify a forgettable first half, as the Rebels dropped the first game of Prep League play to visiting Rio Hondo Prep on Friday night at Occidental College.
The Rebels scored on three of their four possessions in the second half and outscored the Kares in the 24-minute frame, but Rio Hondo Prep’s 29-point lead after two quarters of play proved to be too large a deficit, resulting in a 49-26 defeat, marking the 11th straight defeat in the annual meeting and 27 straight league victories for seven-time-reigning league champion Rio Hondo Prep.
“We know Rio Hondo Prep is always a good team,” said Rebels quarterback Andrew Tsangeos, who led the team with 106 rushing yards in 14 carries to complement his 165 yards passing, including four total touchdowns. “We didn’t come out scared, but we were a little nervous with all the fans here. We knew we could play with them and at halftime we talked, told ourselves to not be nervous and we came out [in the second half] with nothing to lose.”
Flintridge Prep (4-3, 0-1) went into halftime trailing, 35-6, to a Rio Hondo Prep (3-3, 1-0) team that wasted little time in setting the tone, as it scored two touchdowns in the game’s first four minutes en route to a 21-0 lead after one quarter.
Four minutes into the second quarter, Tsangeos scrambled out of a sack, and kept his eyes downfield to find Robbie Leslie for a 61-yard touchdown. The play capped a drive that started on the Rebels’ own five-yard line and sparked excitement for the Flintridge Prep sideline and home crowd for the first time.
However, Rio Hondo Prep’s Gio Perez needed only 16 seconds to shift momentum right back to the Kares, as the senior returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.
Perez accounted for three touchdowns —two rushing — before sitting for the entirety of the second half.
The senior was one of six players in the game to rush for more than 50 yards, with both teams fielding a three-headed attack, led by Tsangeos, Elliot Witter (89 yards in 10 carries), and Derek Okuno (63 yards in 10 carries) on the Rebels’ side, while Domenico Chico led all players with 125 rushing yards in 14 carries.
The Rebels took the first drive of the second half and marched the ball 64 yards on 11 plays in a little less than five minutes, highlighted by Tsangeos’ 25-yard touchdown run.
The Kares answered shortly after Flintridge Prep’s onside kick attempt was not successful and later scored to increase the lead to 49-12.
Tsangeos connected with Payton Faulkner on two touchdowns in the final 6:15 of the contest — the latter of which came with no time remaining on the clock. Flintridge Prep Coach Antonio Harrison called a timeout with .9 seconds left to give his offense one final shot at the end zone.
The final drive was made possible by Jackson Codiga’s fumble recovery.
Faulkner finished the game with 83 receiving yards on four receptions, followed by Leslie’s 75 yards.
“We went back to what we do,” said Harrison, who was without No. 1 receiver Riley Jones and saw his squad snap a three-game winning streak. “We run and we pass, we’re a balanced attack. It wasn’t anything we did on the field. I put it on the coaches, we out-thought ourselves.
“I told the boys that I took the blame for this one. In the second half we regained our identity and the scoreboard reflects that.”
Flintridge Prep will look to rebound going into its homecoming Saturday against visiting Firebaugh, which is in its first year in the Prep League.
“We just need to stick to who we are,” Harrison said. “Hats off to Rio Hondo Prep, they are a small school, but they are good every year.”