Football Game Preview: Rio Hondo Prep Kares vs. Vanden Vikings

Rio Hondo Prep is on a 12-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Vanden is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Rio Hondo Prep Kares will welcome the Vanden Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Rio Hondo Prep is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 45.8 points per game this season.

Rio Hondo Prep is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They strolled past Poway with points to spare, taking the game 28-14. The score was all tied up 7-7 at the break, but the Kares were the (much) better team in the second half.

It was another big night for Noah Penunuri, who rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns. He is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last seven games he's played.

Penunuri was just one part of a punishing run game: Rio Hondo Prep was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 247 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 166 rushing yards in 21 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, Vanden didn't have too much trouble with Pleasant Valley on Saturday as they won 28-14. That's two games straight that Vanden has won by exactly 14 points.

Rio Hondo Prep better keep an eye on Kalani Mcleod. He was instrumental in Vanden's win, throwing for 462 yards and four touchdowns while completing 87.5% of his passes. What's more, Mcleod also racked up 166.7 passer rating, the most he's had since back in September. Another player making a difference was Chris Clark, who picked up 150 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Vanden didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jamarion Grace and Keitaro (Kj) Davis.

Vanden's victory bumped their record up to 12-2. As for Rio Hondo Prep, their win bumped their record up to 13-1.

The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Rio Hondo Prep has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 328.4 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Vanden has preferred to attack from the air: they average 270.7 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Saturday? There's only one way to find out.