Rio Hondo Prep junior Noah Penunuri is on an amazing playoff run, reminding coach Mark Carson of Landon Goodwell, a player many consider the school’s best running back and player of all-time.

Goodwell was a huge back who graduated in 2005 and went on to play at the University of Texas El Paso. He is one of two Kares football players to play Division I college football. Ryan McCulloch, who graduated in 2022, was the other player that went on to play Division I at Cal.

That’s quite a comparison at a school with 16 CIF Southern Section championships. But consider that Penunuri has helped lead them to back-to-back CIF-SS titles and is hoping to lead the Kares to their first state championship this weekend.

Rio Hondo Prep (13-1) is taking on Fairfield’s Vanden (12-2) for the CIF State Division 3-A championship on Saturday at Long Beach City College’s Veterans Stadium at 7 p.m.

“Landon was great, he’s the guy you think about when you think of all-time best at Rio (Hondo Prep),” Carson said. “But what Noah’s doing? He’s right there.”

Penunuri is a 5-foot-11, 170-pound back that looks like a young Clark Kent in glasses and street clothes, but turns into Superman come game time.

He’s not just a football player either, like most athletes at Rio Hondo Prep. Penunuri will go on to play soccer and baseball for the school, and also is a competitive mixed martial arts fighter in Muay Thai.

“It speaks to the type of athlete he is,” Carson said. “But in football, he might be just scratching the surface.”

Penunuri rushed for 203 yards and three touchdowns in Rio Hondo Prep’s 43-16 victory over Warren in the CIF Southern Section Division 7 title game.

Penunuri had another big game last week in the CIF Southern California Division 3-A regional final, rushing for 169 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-14 victory over Poway.

Penunuri is averaging 197 yards rushing over his last four playoff games.

“Noah is right up there with the greatest backs in Rio history and he’s the best back in the area, there’s just no doubt in my mind,” said Carson, who is in his seventh year coaching the Kares.

Rio Hondo Prep’s Caeden Holcomb and Nate Curtis help form a backfield that along with Penunuri averages 329 yards a game and has produced 64 touchdowns, but Penunuri has shouldered the majority of the load as the season has moved on.

Penunuri, who has rushed for 1,733 yards and 26 touchdowns, was shut down during most of the Kares’ blowout wins during the season, but everyone can see how impactful he is now with a motor that just doesn’t stop.

The Kares rarely pass the ball although defenses know to key in on Penunuri but still can’t contain him.

“His speed is deceptive and he never goes down on first contact,” Carson said. “He moves through holes with the best of them, and when he finds the slightest crack, he finds his way through. And the other thing is he’s tough as nails. He never goes down on first contact. You may think you have him down or tackled, and he will straight-arm you and keep going. He’s a real special talent.”

VANDEN QB PRESENTS ‘CHALLENGE’

While the Kares have Penunuri, Vanden has senior quarterback Kalani McLeod, who has thrown for 4,090 yards and 36 touchdowns.

McLeod is coming off his two best games of the season. He threw for 484 yards and six touchdowns in the team’s 49-35 victory over Oakdale to win the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship. And he threw for 464 yards and four touchdowns last week in a 28-14 victory over Pleasant Valley for the Division 3-A Northern California Regional title.

“It’s a challenge,” Carson said. “Last week against Poway we knew pretty early we could stop their run and would have a good chance. But against a passing team like this, you’re one blown coverage away from a touchdown. It’s just so dangerous and unpredictable. You can stop them early, but it doesn’t matter, they’re always a pass away from a big play, so that’s a major test for us.”

The Kares have faced good quarterbacks this season, but probably none have compared to McLeod.

“He’s (McLeod) very accurate and they have multiple receivers that are fast,” Carson said. “Listening to their coach (Mike Clark) during a conference call, it sounds like these guys have been playing together since Pop Warner. They have a good feel for each other and are well connected.”

The Kares’ hope is that Vanden will have trouble keeping their offense off the field.

“That’s our formula, to limit their possessions and find a way to turn them over or turn them over on downs,” Carson said. “If we can do that a few times and answer on scoring drives, we have a chance. We know they’re going to score, we have no illusions about that. But hopefully we can limit their opportunities and take advantage of ours.”