Football: Little Rio Hondo Prep keeps coming up big

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Rio Hondo Prep, which has won Southern Section titles in six-, eight- and 11-man football in the school’s history, continues to pull off some amazing feats.

With an enrollment of only 98, the Kares (9-3) are the smallest section team playing 11-man football and have beaten several significantly larger schools en route to the Northeast Division championship game Saturday against Riverside Christian (12-1). Rio Hondo had only 22 players on its varsity roster prior to promoting about eight upon the conclusion of the junior varsity team’s season.

Last week, Rio Hondo defeated Temecula Linfield Christian, 28-21, despite the fact that Linfield is a school with 412 students--more than four times the enrollment of Rio Hondo. Linfield’s roster included more than 60 players.

To win its 12th section title, the Kares must defeat a Riverside Christian school whose enrollment is 270. Rio Hondo won its last championship in 2005, defeating St. Margaret’s in a semifinal to hand the Tartans their most recent defeat. St. Margaret’s has since won 41 consecutive games.

--Ben Bolch