Downey ready for playoff redemption
Downey quarterback Oscar Rios makes a pass during practice for their upcoming game against Orange Vista on Friday. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
DOWNEY – Expectations are high for the Downey High School Football team this season, especially with senior quarterback and University of Arizona commit Oscar Rios leading the way.
Coming off an undefeated Gateway League season last year, the Vikings, which finished 9-2 overall, are looking for a better result in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs.
Downey lost to Serra of Gardena in the first-round last year.
“Our expectations are high,” longtime Downey coach Jack Williams said. “You could tell by the way we scheduled our preseason this year with Sierra Canyon, Millikan, Inglewood, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks. It’s a great group. We have 38 seniors, and they are really close-knit. Probably 10-12 of them played on the same Pop Warner team.
“Realistically, if we’re to make a run (playoffs), the thing we need to find is leaders, true leaders.”
Oscar Rios is one of those leaders.
Rios, who is a three-year starter at QB for the Vikings, has put up big numbers both through the air and on the ground.
In his first year as a sophomore, he threw for 2,633 yards (73% completion) with 23 TDs and rushed for 767 yards (7 TDs). Last season he passed for 2,554 yards (60% completion), 22 TDs and ran for 735 yards (11 TDs).
“We have a good group of guys this year to bring another championship to Downey,” said Rios, who stands at 6-4. “We feel confident we can do that. It’s a big goal for us, especially for me. Personally, I take it big on myself. We haven’t had a playoff win, let alone a ring. I’ve been busting my butt all Spring, all Summer and all Fall. I just can’t wait to get through these weeks and see how far we go.”
Downey last won a CIF title when Aidan Chiles was quarterback in the 2022 season. Chiles is now at Michigan State.
Another player to watch for the Vikings is junior wide receiver Damani Porras, who led the team with 55 receptions for 1,093 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. A newcomer this season is Oscar Rios’ younger brother, Jesus Rios. Frankie, as everyone calls him, became a star in the opening game last week against Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks. The sophomore, who made his debut on varsity, caught a game-high seven passes for 121 yards.
“It’s all or nothing this year. It’s real big,” said Porras, of a hopeful title run. “We can’t go out in the first round again and we got to make a run.
“All we can do is do our thing and get ready for the playoffs.”
Porras also talked about young Rios and his game last week, saying “If he gets one on one like he did, he’ll have a year,” Porras said. “He’s probably one of the best young ones. Frankie, If he keeps playing like he did in the first game, he’s going to be on a couple boards for colleges.”
Cameron Vasquez (SR.), Gael Flores (SR.) and Jacob Trevizu (SR.) all expect to be targets for Oscar Rios.
“Last year, three weeks before we started (Frankie Rios), he dove for a post (play) and fell on his shoulder and a broken collar bone,” Williams explained. “He was out the whole year and came back and three weeks ago he was on JV. He was one of those kids that are in between’ners from varsity to JV.
“With his work ethic and a few injuries later and his brother being on him and he just stayed with it. Oscar had to look elsewhere (to his brother), and they just have a unique bond as brothers.”
Also, on the ground at running back is senior Gavin Ingram and of course Oscar Rios for yardage.
On the defensive side, Williams said he has some big players on defense. “The defense should be run by the “other” Oscar (Aguilar), a 6-4, 220 Lb. senior linebacker and Arizona St. commit, Vasquez (6-3, 205), who plays corner for us and is a Fresno St. commit and Elijah Rincon (6-4, 220), outside linebacker (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo commit).”
In addition, as steady as they come in the kicking game, is kicker Danny Yocupicio. The junior calmly kicked the winning field goal in the game last Friday and had three extra points.
Downey 24, Notre Dame 21
As for the game last Friday, it might be a game these players look back on after trailing late in the game. Two big plays in the final drive sealed it for the Vikings.
Downey ran and passed for 572 yards of total offense as a team. Oscar Rios was 23 of 33, 1 Int. (.697 completion %) for 311 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 133 yards on 14 carries. He found six different targets, which included Flores (3 catches) and Vasquez (4 catches) with 48 yards each, Porras (4 catches, 43 yards), Trevizu (3 catches, 39 yards, TD) and Xavier Rivas (2 catches, 12 yards). As a team they averaged 13.5 yards a reception in the game.
In addition to Oscar Rios’ 133 yards on the ground, Ingram carried the ball 14 times for 103 yards, and a touchdown and Rivas had four carries for 15 yards and a TD.
On the defensive side, leading the way was senior inside linebacker Aidan Gomez with four solo tackles and six assists. Rivas added an interception.
The defense held Notre Dame to only 107 total yards in the game.
Notre Dame opened the game with a 1-yard touchdown run on its first drive to lead, 7-0.
Downey answered with two scores in the second quarter. The first came early in the quarter near the nine-minute mark with a 12-yard pass from Oscar Rios to Trevizu to tie the game, 7-7.
With just :45 seconds left in the half, the Vikings culminated a 14-play drive with a 12-yard run by Rivas to lead, 14-7 at the half.
The Knights tied the game, 14-14, early in the third quarter on a 4-yard scramble by their quarterback Wyatt Brown (13 carries, 75 yards, 2 TDs).
With less than five minutes left in the game, two TDs and a field goal ended the scoring between the two teams.
Brown found the endzone for the second time in the game on a 13-yard run to take a 21-14 lead.
Downey answered with another long drive of 12 plays and ended with a 1-yard draw to Rivas to tie the game, 21-21, with 2:30 left.
Notre Dame, after a first down, was stopped and had a short punt that had a nice bounce that ended up at the Vikings five-yard line.
With the seconds winding down, Oscar Rios completed the first of two big passes to his brother, Frankie.
With 19 seconds left and the ball on the 20, Frankie Rios hauled in a 35-yard pass from his brother inside midfield to the 45-yard line of Notre Dame with 11.3 seconds remaining.
This is where the madness began.
Porras had a catch on the final drive and a near interception was dropped by the Knights safety to keep the drive alive for the Vikings. In addition, with Oscar’s hand cramping he carried the ball instead of passing and took a big hit. A bloody nose ensued, and a cramping hand didn’t stop the senior QB.
Oscar Rios took the snap from the shotgun position, but dropped a low snap, but quickly picked up the ball as it bounced right to him. All he had time to do was fling it down field to his brother, Frankie, who somehow grabbed the pass and wiggled out of bounds to stop the clock with just 2.8 left.
“I was not thinking we were going to lose at all,” Frankie Rios said. “I was just thinking we got this.”
Damani had triple coverage on him, which opened up Frankie for the opportunity to come up big for the team.
“We kind of knew going in that (Notre Dame) was going to try and double (Porras), but we didn’t know that they were going to triangle him,” Williams said. “Oscar had to look elsewhere, and his brother came to help out. “They just have a unique bond as brothers.
“Oscar takes a step and doesn’t even look and just chucks the ball to his brother.”
Williams speculated that the brothers would be having a later discussion about the play. “I think it’s something that they will have at the dinner table,” smiled Williams.
With those 2.8 seconds left, Yocupicio was getting set up for the game-winning field goal, but Notre Dame iced the kicker with a time out.
After the time out, Yocupicio calmly kicked a 20-yard field goal to give the Vikings the win.
The Vikings (1-0) continue nonleague action with another road game Friday (August 29) at Orange Vista (0-1), which lost its opening game, 20-6 to Apple Valley.
Game quotes:
Damani Porras – “That was a big win for us and without Frankie, honestly, we probably don’t win that game.
That triple team they had on me was crazy, but as long as we get the dub, I’m happy.”
Oscar Rios – “It does feel good, but at the end of the day, we went in there underestimating them, but at the end of the day we had to play our game. Seeing that we didn’t play our game in the beginning, it bit us in the butt, but our strong brotherhood brought us back in the game.
My brother was one-on-one, and he made two big catches at the end of the game, and we kicked a field goal to win the game.”
Jack Williams – “We didn’t play our best, but the one thing that I took away that was positive was the demeanor on the sideline. No one was putting blame when we were behind and they still had each other’s back and still believed in each other.”
Frankie Rios – “After I broke my shoulder last year I came out here with something to prove.