MidValleySports.Com

By Tony Solorzano

Bellflower, CA – Sophomore running back Justin Huff scored four rushing touchdowns as Downey opened play in the CIF Southern Section’s Southeast Division with  a 30-20 victory over Mayfair Friday night at Ron Yary Stadium.

The Vikings (1-0, 0-0) benefitted from not only Huff’s 120 yards on 23 carries, but from the arm and legs of fellow sophomore Jorge Reyna, who threw seven passes for 78 yards and rushed nine times for 68 yards. Offensive coordinator Dexter Davis was happy with the young gunner’s production.

“We just tried to do what we do best, run the ball and that’s what we’re known for,’ said Offensive Coordinator Dexter Davis. “We don’t want to overlook anyone in and out of the league, we’re going to take it one snap at a time.”

In the first quarter,  the Monsoons (0-1, 0-0) got on the board as quarterback Christian Woo dropped a short screen pass to Aaron Minor for a six-yard score with 7:55 left in the first.  The Vikings responded by taking the rest of the quarter to set up Huff’s first score, from six yards out with 37.5 seconds left in the quarter.

In the second, the Monsoons took the lead as Woo hit Alex Ploum for a 23-yard strike with 8:05 left in the half. However, on their next possession, Woo was called for intentional grounding while scrambling in the end zone, giving up a safety that would eventually play a factor in the outcome of the game.

Despite error, Woo redeemed himself on the Vikings’ subsequent drive as he picked off Reyna on a first-and-10 at the Monsoon 31, ending the Vikings’ threat and eventually sending the game into the half at 14-9 in favor of the Monsoons.

In the third, a span of 20 seconds separated the scores in the quarter. First, the Vikings scored on Huff’s second touchdown, a 39-yard run, his longest of the night, with 4:46 left in the quarter. After getting the ball back on their own 17-yard line, Woo found a wide-open Minor at mid-field who broke a tackle and ran off for an 83-yard score with 4:26 left. However, Woo’s pass attempt on the conversion failed as Minor was stopped a yard shy of the goal line, giving the Monsoons a 20-16 lead. The blown conversion would prove costly in the final frame.

In the fourth, Huff closed out the drive after the Monsoon score, a seven-minute odyssey, with a three-yard score with 10:16 left in the game, regaining the lead, 23-20. The Monsoons would attempt a 41-yard field goal with 9:31 left, but Zach Munoz’s attempt was ruled wide right. It would be Mayfair’s last real threat to score.

Huff would end the scoring with 1:08 left in the game with a two-yard run to cap an eight-minute drive to put the game away, the Monsoons unable to stop the clock, having used their last time out in their previous drive.

However, Woo tried to engineer a last-minute drive with no time outs left, however, he failed to get out of bounds after a 21-yard first down rush, and his 41-yard toss to Keenan Wright stopped the clock with only 0.4 seconds left to move the chains to the Vikings’ 7-yard line as time expired.

The Vikings continue their “Hello There” tour of the Southeast Division by hosting last year’s runner-up in the Finals, the La Serna Lancers, while Mayfair heads down the I-15 to visit Murrieta Valley.