Rebels rocked by Rio Hondo
To underscore the Flintridge Prep football team’s stagnant offense and barely there defense, it can be noted that Rio Hondo Prep running back Charles Quintero outgained the Rebels’ entire team by 40 yards.
It can also be noted that the Rebels gave up seven sacks and turned the ball over six times, including two interceptions in the first quarter that saw the Kares jump out to a two-touchdown advantage.
Simply put, Saturday night’s Prep League contest between Flintridge Prep and the defending Prep League champion, Rio Hondo Prep, was a forgettable one for the former, ending in a 40-0 loss at La Cañada High.
“They kicked our ass,” Prep Coach Antonio Harrison said. “We came out scared and that’s not the attitude I’ve trained.”
Quintero gained 207 yards on the ground on 15 rushes with three touchdowns and added a 52-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter, which just so happened to be his final play, as the game was long out of reach.
The Kares captain accounted for all but two of his team’s scores with the others being a Colby Rivera quarterback sneak from the one-yard line for the game’s first score and a Nick Preciado rushing touchdown from seven yards out for the game’s final score.
As a team, the Kares (5-1, 2-0 in league) gained 375 of their 427 yards on the ground, with Preciado joining Quintero over the 100-yard mark and a majority of his 110 yards coming in the fourth quarter when the Kares were just trying to run out the clock.
“If we get that passing game going, we’ll see how it goes,” Rio Hondo Coach Ken Drain said. “But tonight we blocked well and Charles ran well, obviously.
“We don’t tell him much because we know he can find the spots and see the holes.”
The shutout was the second in a row for Rio Hondo in the annual rivalry, as they prevailed by the same score in last year’s meeting.
Prep quarterback Kyle McDonald led five drives into Rio Hondo territory and completed 12 passes for 108 yards to eight different receivers, but the Rebels (0-5-1, 0-2) couldn’t convert a touchdown against the Kares’ stout defense.
“The only positive I can take from this game is that I hope they remember this,” Harrison said. “Past coaches this season have always told us we gave them a fight. Tonight, they said nothing.”