High School

California small school with 82 boys beats 1,700-enrollment public in CIF playoffs

Rio Hondo Prep, with an enrollment of roughly 135 students — and just 82 boys — has a reputation for slaying large public schools.

Tarek Fattal

Rio Hondo Prep, a school with just 70 boys, is beating large public schools for the second postseason in a row.
Rio Hondo Prep, a school with just 70 boys, is beating large public schools for the second postseason in a row. / Rene Morales

Rio Hondo Prep is at it again.

The small private school located in Southern California (Arcadia) made itself known as the Public School Slayer after last year's playoff run that included beating four straight public schools en route to a CIF Southern Section Division 7 championship.

The 2024 postseason came to a climax when RHP took down Warren High 43-16 in the CIF final, and the lede of the victory was highlighted the discrepancy in school enrollment. Rio Hondo Prep is a small private school with roughly 135 students and just 82 boys, yet it took down Warren, which boasts an enrollment of more than 3,600.

In 2025, Rio Hondo Prep is two divisions higher in Division 5 and had to travel to Thousand Oaks High with an enrollment of more than 1,700 in the opening round of the playoffs. Surely, Rio Hondo Prep wasn't going to take down another public school — especially in Division 5, right?

Wrong.

Rio Hondo Prep actually trailed 21-8 in the second quarter before star running back Noah Penunuri led the Kares to an eventual 50-34 victory over the Lancers. Penunuri rushed for 262 yards and three touchdowns.

Rio Hondo Prep's Noah Penunuri,
Rio Hondo Prep's Noah Penunuri. / Donn Parris

Rio Hondo Prep moved to 11-0 and will play Troy High— a public school with 2,500 students — at home in the second round (quarterfinals) on Friday, November 14.

The Kares won a CIF Southern Section Division 9 title in 2023, a Division 7 title in 2024, and is eyeing a Division 5 crown in 2025. In the three postseasons, the Kares have beaten eight public schools:

  • 2023: Orange, 22-13; Vista del Lago, 31-14; Santa Monica, 29-27 (final)
  • 2024: Ramona, 35-0; ML King, 28-7; Torrance West, 42-21; Warren, 43-16 (final)
  • 2025 (current): Thousand Oaks, 50-34

In the 2024 CIF State playoffs, Rio Hondo Prep beat Poway 28-14. Poway (San Diego) is a school with more than 2,100 students.

RHP TRADITION

Rio Hondo Prep is 6-2 all-time in CIF Southern Section 11-man championships. The program has 10, 8-man football titles to its name.

Despite the small numbers, the expectation and tradition at RHP is unlike any other.

"When you come to Rio, everyone is expected to play football," coach Mark Carson told High School On SI at the CIF championship luncheon in November 2023. "We want you to try it freshman year and then if you don't like it, you don't want to continue, that's fine. But you're going to be part of the program in some way: a manager, being in the band, do media, something like that, and support the team in some manner."

Carson has been at the school for 23 years and the head football coach for nine.

CIF PLAYOFF BRACKETS, SCORES

SOUTHERN SECTION

LA CITY SECTION

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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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