High School

California small school with 71 boys beats 3,635-enrollment public in championship football game

"I think it's the highest enrollment differential in CIF finals history," Rio Hondo Prep football coach Mark Carson said.

Tarek Fattal

Rio Hondo Prep coach Mark Carson introduces his team at the CIF Luncheon.
Rio Hondo Prep coach Mark Carson introduces his team at the CIF Luncheon. / Heston Quan

Sports provide the best unscripted drama, which make for great stories.

The latest story comes out of Los Angeles, where Rio Hondo Prep, a small private high school in Arcadia with just 71 boys was matched up to play Warren High in Downey in the CIF Southern Section Division 7 high school football final Friday night.

Warren's total enrollment is 3,635 students. Rio Hondo Prep's is 120.

"If I'm not mistaken, I think it's the highest enrollment differential in CIF finals history," Rio Hondo Prep Mark Carson told High School on SI earlier in the week.

In a classic tale of David vs. Goliath, Rio Hondo Prep rolled Warren 43-16 to win the program's 16th CIF title, and its second straight after winning Division 9 in 2023.

Off numbers alone, one might think Rio Hondo Prep (12-1) would get worn down, but it was Warren that couldn't hang. Rio Hondo Prep’s Noah Penunuri ran for 228 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries, according to a report from the San Gabriel Tribune.

Caeden Holcomb added 71 yards and two rushing touchdowns in an offensive effort that totaled 322 rushing yards. Nate Curtis also scored a touchdown on the ground.

Warren (6-8), though not the same team it was in 2023 - and with a different coach - was the Division 3 runner-up last season.

Rio Hondo Prep, which was once an 8-man football power, has won the school's fifth CIF title as an 11-man program. Friday's victory over Warren marked would could be tagged as the program's biggest victory ever.

Rio Hondo Prep took a 29-10 lead early in the fourth quarter after recovering an onside kick.

WHY THE BIG ENROLLMENT DIFFERENCE?

So, how do these two programs get paired up in the same division?

The answer is competitive equity, which is a newer playoff system used by the CIF Southern Section that uses data and computer rankings based off the current season to place teams in their appropriate division to make for competitive games.

The result of this system can put teams that are usually in higher divisions, but having a down year in lower playoffs divisions. It can also put teams that are more suited for lower divisions in higher playoff divisions if they're having a great year.

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Published
Tarek Fattal, SBLive Sports
TAREK FATTAL

Tarek Fattal has been covering high school sports since 2015 in Southern California and primarily in Los Angeles, covering notable athletes such as Bronny James, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alyssa Thompson. He was with the LA Daily News for eight years, which included being the beat reporter for the UCLA men's basketball team. Tarek can be seen on TV regularly on CBS/KCAL as a sports analyst with Jim Hill.

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