Small Rio Hondo Prep beats big schools to reach title game
HIGH SCHOOLS
With an enrollment of only 98, the Kares are the smallest section team playing 11-man football. They will play in the Northeast Division championship game Saturday against Riverside Christian (12-1).
Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep, the only Southern Section team to win titles in six-, eight- and 11-man football, 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 before promoting about eight more 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 San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret's in a semifinal to hand the Tartans their most recent defeat. St. Margaret's has since won 41 consecutive games.
Lakers challenge?
After the Lakers' 113-101 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, Lamar Odom raised the possibility that if the Lakers don't pick it up, unbeaten Los Angeles Westchester's boys' basketball team could offer them a challenge.
"We've got to come out with a lot of energy and play the right way the whole game," Odom said. "If we don't, then we could lose to Westchester High School."
Perhaps Odom was teasing teammate Trevor Ariza, a Westchester graduate, but Westchester Coach Ed Azzam was not taking the bait Wednesday.
Asked to respond to Odom, Azzam said, "Ask Trevor to have a comment. I have nothing to say. I appreciate the comment, but we have our own problems. I'm not going to get into that."
Westchester (6-0) could have a Thursday showdown against unbeaten Etiwanda in the Ocean View tournament if both schools continue to win.
Island All-Stars
Apparently, it's never too early for a high school football all-star game.
While the elite City and Southern Section schools are finishing up the regular season, five local players are in Hawaii gearing up for the first Hawaii/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl, which will be televised live on FSN Prime Ticket at 10 p.m. PST Friday.
