Flintridge Prep football runs through Sun Valley
Tommy Porter expects a lot out of himself.
The Flintridge Prep sophomore would like to turn in a stellar season and help put the Rebels in position to contend for the Prep League championship and make a deep playoff run.
Porter got off to an impressive start Thursday, as he scored three touchdowns to propel Flintridge Prep to a season-opening 78-0 nonleague eight-man football home win against Sun Valley.
Porter rushed for a touchdown, caught a pass for a touchdown and returned a punt for a touchdown. He rushed for 141 yards in 12 carries.
“I expect more out of myself this season after having a bit of a down year last year,” Porter said. “I did a lot of work in the offseason to get better in different areas and it’s already paying off.
“I just wanted to go out there and find ways to contribute on the field tonight. It’s the first game of the season and under the lights and it’s the right kind of atmosphere for me.”
Flintrige Prep scored on its first seven possessions and limited Sun Valley (0-2) to three first downs in a contest that had a running clock throughout the second half. The Rebels received three total touchdowns from senior quarterback John Lytle and two each from Zack Kim and Will Gunter.
Flintridge Prep took a 7-0 lead on a 15-yard run from Alex Payne with 9:36 remaining in the first quarter. The Rebels made it 13-0 on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Lytle, a reigning All-Area selection, to Kim with 5:36 to go.
Lytle extended the lead to 21-0 on a three-yard run with 1:34 left in the first quarter.
A two-yard run by Porter gave Flintridge Prep a 28-0 lead with 11:45 to play in the second quarter. Max Gitlin caught a one-yard pass from Lytle (nine for 11 for 109 yards) to extend the advantage to 34-0 with 8:36 to go in the first half.
Lytle connected with Kim for a 28-yard touchdown pass to give Flintridge Prep a 42-0 lead with 4:09 left in the second quarter. Porter scored on a 52-yard run to make it 50-0 with 1:56 to go in the half.
Charlie McCormick of Flintridge Prep had a 12-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 56-0 with 7:49 remaining in the third quarter. A safety gave the Rebels a 58-0 lead about a minute later.
On the ensuing kickoff, Porter returned it 48-yards for a touchdown and a 65-0 advantage.
“Tommy is a complete player for us,” Flintridge Prep third-year coach Russell White said. “He can run, catch and do well on special teams.
“We’re going to try to be more balanced on offense. Our running game disappeared a bit last year and we want to be a more complete team when we have the ball.”
In the fourth quarter, Gunter scored on runs of 46 and 44 yards to close out the scoring.
Flintridge Prep will compete in a nonleague road contest against Mammoth at 8 p.m. Sept. 8.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
