Downey HC Jack Williams makes a point and directs his team to the finals.
By Rich Whittington
(Downey)- The Downey Vikings proved a team does not have to be perfect to reach the CIF Finals as they committed several drive stopping penalties, but still advanced to next week’s Southeast title game with a 35-14 victory over Salesian Friday night at Allen Layne Stadium.
The Vikings, who won the coin toss, deferred to the second half, and scored on their first possession of the game when sophomore quarterback Trevor Hill connected with senior wide receiver Jason Thomas for a 13-yard Touchdown.
Hill, who completed all seven of his pass attempts for 103 yards, while adding a 3-yard touchdown run, would leave the game midway through the second quarter. In his absence, the Downey rushing game flourished, and “really carried the ball” for the Vikings.
Junior running back Daevon Vigilant (16 carries for 146 yards and a TD) led the Viking running attack. He was accompanied by senior running back Justin Huff (12 carries for 101 yards and a TD), and senior running back Josh Flores (6 carries, 72 yards, one TD).
Salesian quarterback Damion Wright provided the majority of the Mustang offense. Wright passed for 125 yards and two scores also rushed for 101 yards on 22 carries. Wideouts Jeremy Kelly and Nick Pickett were on the “receiving” end of Wright’s passes, scoring on tosses of 22 and 15-yards, respectively.
Despite all of the positives, Downey incurred five drive stopping penalties, which allowed Salesian to keep the contest close. As you do not expect to see these types of errors at this point in the season, this makes Downey a sort of football anomaly. However, the Vikings forget fast and recover even faster. It’s not perfect, but the Downey formula works.
The Vikings will face Crescenta Valley in the CIF Southeast Division finals next Friday evening at Moyse Stadium on the campus of Glendale High School.
***Total Yardage- Downey: 415 Yards
***Total Yardage- Salesian: 245 yards
***Score at Halftime: Downey-21 Salesian-7
***Penalties: Downey 11-105 Yards
***Penalties: Salesian 8-72 Yards
***Turnovers: Downey-1, Salesian-1
***Salesian finished the season with a record of 6-7, including two playoff wins.
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