ARCADIA — With a Prep League title on the line and classic rivalry unfolding on the field, the Flintridge Prep football team needed to be as close to perfect as possible.
Friday night against Rio Hondo Prep, the Rebels may have waited more than a bit too long to bring their best game to the Kares.
A furious comeback attempt kept Flintridge’s hope alive into the fourth quarter despite a hefty deficit, but with the clock against them, the Rebels could not avoid a 31-14 defeat.
“It lit a fire under us,” Rebels running back Adam Ross (126 yards rushing and two touchdowns in 21 carries) said of the low point of the game, when the Kares took a 24-7 lead with 5:21 remaining in the third. “Our sideline got riled up and we got riled up as a team, but we didn’t get [the win] this time.”
The Rebels did nearly get back in the game, thanks to a sudden reappearance of the fearless moxie and workmanlike execution that has led them to a 6-2 record (3-1 in league).
Rio Hondo Prep took a 17-point lead on quarterback Dan Castro’s 11-yard touchdown run, set up by a Flintridge fumble recovered by the Kares at the Rebels 19 yard line.
The Rebels then responded with a 12-play, 80-yard drive, capped off by a four-yard Ross run, the first Flintridge score since the 4:09 mark of the first quarter. They followed that up at the 10:31 mark of the fourth with a stop of the Kares offense.
On the Rebels’ next drive, Joel Bryant took the ball on fourth down past midfield, but was stripped. Rio Hondo Prep recovered the ball, effectively ending the Rebels’ comeback hopes.
Ian Sander added 63 yards rushing and Bryant finished with 31. The defense came up with a fumble recovery and an interception in the first half.
But, for the most part, Rio Hondo was effective in limiting Flintridge Prep in all aspects.
“We went through a stretch where we didn’t execute too well offensively,” Rebels Coach Perry Skaggs said. “[The Kares] were doing some jumping around and gambling [defensively] — you have to against our Wing T.
“They were being successful and making some plays.”
After Ross scored on a two-yard run in the first quarter, Rio Hondo answered with an 18-yard run by Trevor Finchamp (122 yards rushing in 20 carries).
The Kares (4-4, 4-0) added a 35-yard field goal and scored on a three-yard Finchamp run to open the third quarter.
