Downey falls to La Serna in Gateway League title game
Downey’s Gavin Chapman (22) blocks a La Serna punt attempt and carries it in for a touchdown in their league varsity football game for the league championship on Friday. La Serna defeated Downey 20-14. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
DOWNEY – In a game of turnovers and defensive battles, the visiting La Serna Lancers held on to defeat Downey, 20-14, in the newly aligned Gateway League Friday October 30.
With La Serna leading, 20-14, and the Vikings driving for a possible go ahead touchdown at the Lancers 21-yard line with less than 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter, La Serna junior defensive end Nathan Christiansen sacked senior quarterback Kale Murphy to virtually end the game.
“Nate (Christiansen) is just a blue collar guy,” La Serna coach Andy George said. “He’s not flashy, but he’s dependable and he makes plays in the clutch and we needed a big play at the end and he stepped up and made it.
“We’re so proud of our team coming in to this new league with new challenges and we just stayed the course and do what we do.”
With a snap of the ball La Serna secured the victory.
With the win, La Serna finished the regular season with a 9-1 overall record
and 5-0 in league, while Downey finishes in second at 6-4 and 4-1 for second place and will host Newbury park. The Lancers will host Valencia (8-2).
Three of the five touchdowns in the game came by the way of turnovers.
“We treated this game as the playoffs with a playoff atmosphere for us and the guys came to work,” George said. “We knew it was going to be a fight, but we responded well and am so proud of the effort of everyone on the team.
“We had some costly mistakes that are uncharacteristic, but we didn’t let it define us, we didn’t hang our heads, we just fought to the finish.”
On his team’s defensive effort, George said, “It was back and forth all night and our defense kept us in the game and didn’t allow a touchdown all night. In fact they scored a touchdown. We always believe in our defense.”
Leading the way for Downey was junior running back Max Acosta with a game-high 94 yards on 16 carries
Defensively, linebackers Gavin Chapman and/ Matthew Dalhover scored on turnovers. Chapman, a junior, scored after he blocked a punt and scored, while Dalhover intercepted a pass and scored.
Dalhover (7 solo, 4 assts.) and Diaz (7 solo, 4 assts.) led with 11 tackles each, while junior corner back Terrell Curl (5, 5) and junior defensive back Kingston Fasavaku (6, 3) had 10 and nine tackles, respectively.
Two Downey quarterbacks, sophomore Chase Watkins and Murphy combined for 54 yards (5 for 18) passing. Junior Jayden Diaz had 25 yards receiving followed by sophomore Buddy Tuiagamoa with 17 yards and sophomore Joshua Leon with 12 yards.
La Serna was led by senior quarterback Grady Long with 94 yards passing (11 for 22, 3 Int., 2 TDs. He also ran for 78 yards on 15 carries, while senior receiver Landon Armenta led all receivers with 101 yards (5 catches) and a touchdown. Sophomore receiver Kenai Summage had one catch for a 54-yard touchdown.
Lancers senior safety Jordan Bonilla and senior linebacker Xavier Nunez led with 13 (8, 5) and nine (4, 6), tackles, respectively. Nunez also had 16 yards rushing on five carries.
“This was a really big game and we knew it was going to be tough and knew it was going to be a dog fight,” said Downey senior defensive back Damani Porras, who is headed to the University of New Mexico next season.
“It’s a bitter sweet feeling to go 4-0 (league) and then fall short on the last drive. It happens. I’ve been here (varsity) since my freshman year and we’ve yet to win a playoff game. We’re hungry, I’m hungry. I want to win and give everything out on the field.
“I do believe in our team and believe in our defense, our offense and our coaches. I do believe we could make a run for it.”
In a back and forth first quarter, with neither team getting anywhere near the red zone, the first of three mistakes for scores happened on a fourth down punt by the Lancers.
On fourth down with the Lancers deep in their own territory at the 16 yard line, Downey’s Chapman blocked the punt, grabbed the ball and scored to lead, 7-0 with 3:12 left in the quarter.
On the ensuing Lancers possession, Downey intercepted Long with the first of his three turnovers.
However, on the third play for the Vikings, La Serna’s senior corner back Etoagwara Onyenegecha returned the favor and stepped in front of the Downey receiver and waltzed into the end zone from the 16 yard line to tie the game, 7-7 six seconds into the second quarter.
La Serna came back with a long 17-play drive of its own, but was stalled at the Downey 33 yard line after a pass just out of the reach of the receiver’s hands.
After Downey punted near midfield, the Lancers received the ball at their own 29 and seemed happy for the tie at the half.
Four plays later, Long threw a pass to his top receiver (Landon Armenta). The TD was Armentas 14th score of the season.
Fifty two yards later, the Lancers led 14-7 at the half.
After a missed 41-yard field goal by Downey in the third quarter, the Lancers were at midfield, but the second interception by Long led to a 48-yard return by Dalhover to tie the game, 14-14, with forty seconds left in the quarter.
The ball was tipped and Dalhover just grabbed it and was off to the races.
On La Serna’s next possession, the Lancers were driving for a go-ahead touchdown with just under nine minutes left in regulation, but the interception bug bit Long for the third time. Downey Junior free safety Jordan Robinson intercepted the pass at its own 5 yard line.
The two teams exchanged punts before Long found Summage behind the defense, who raced 46 yards for the go-ahead TD with just 1:55 remaining.
The extra point was blocked giving the Vikings hope for a late score and extra point for a possible come-from-behind victory.
Downey started the final drive of the game near midfield with less than two minutes left, but the drive ended with the sack by Christiansen.
