The Rebels’ football team took on the Villanova Prep Wildcats under the lights on Friday, September 21. The Wildcats were expected to be a tough opponent, but that didn’t stop the Rebels from keeping the game close. The final score was 37-35 in favor of Villanova.

Villanova Prep started out with an early 13-0 lead in the first quarter and extended their lead to 20-6 in the second quarter.  But the Rebels stormed back to end the half and tied the game 20-20 going into halftime. In the third quarter, the Rebels and Wildcats remained close, going into the fourth quarter with the Rebels leading 27-26.  Towards the end of the game, however, the Wildcats pulled ahead by scoring 11 straight points. The Rebels tried their hardest to come back but came up short in the dying seconds of the game.

John Lytle ‘19 threw for four touchdowns on 22-34 passes with 312 yards. Zach Kim ‘21 had a standout performance with two touchdowns on seven catches for 139 yards along with an interception.  Unfortunately, Kim dislocated his shoulder in the fourth quarter. Anthony Martinez of the Wildcats shined carrying the ball 27 times for 246 yards and a touchdown.

Although the game ended in defeat, the Rebels were able to show resilience by battling back after an early lead.  The Rebels record is now 2-1 after this loss, with an upcoming game against Thatcher on Saturday, September 29th, in Ojai.