Downey quarterback Madeline Garcia (32) throws a pass as they play Gahr in their league girls flag football game at Gahr High School in Artesia on Monday. Downey defeated Gahr, 28-12. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)

DOWNEY — A convincing victory kept a perfect Gateway League record intact for the Downey High School Girls flag football team as they defeated host Gahr, 28-12, Monday (September 28).

The Vikings, who improved to 19-4 overall and 9-0 in league, scored early and late with a good running game by junior quarterback Madeline Garcia.

Garcia (21 for 31, 210 Yds, 1 Int., 11 carries, 61 Yds.), who scored two rushing touchdowns and threw two TDs, has now amassed 75 touchdowns on the season and has rushed for 871 yards for 13 touchdowns.

Also scoring for the Vikings was senior wide receiver Amaya Hernandez (2 catches, 38 yards) and junior receiver Carissa Rodriguez (5 catches, 42 yds). Sophomore wide receiver Victoria Navarro led the Vikings with 45 yards on two receptions.

Gahr (11-5, 3-4) was led by junior quarterback Maliah Gomez with a game-high 225 yards passing (17 for 24, 2 Int.) and two TDs. The leading receivers for the Gladiators were sophomore Reese Saffell with 70 yards on five receptions and senior Camarra Brown-Stanton (6 catches, 65 yards. They each had a touchdown.

The Vikings, who won 13 games in a row through the second game of a tournament this last weekend, then lost a close 14-7 game to a tough Huntington Beach team, got back in the win column with the win over Gahr.

“It’s definitely a big bounce back,” said Garcia of the win over Gahr. “Having to come from a very emotional defeat (to Huntington Beach) and having to come together as a team again to get this win we still have each other’s back and we’re all family it means a lot.”

Gahr opened the game and punted on its first possession, but Downey converted first down in its first drive and eventually scored.

After completions to Navarro and junior Leila Paz (3 catches, 23 Yds.), Garcia finished off the scoring drive as she scrambled for the 6-yard touchdown run with 4:41 left in the opening quarter.

Garcia added the extra point with a pass to Rodriguez for the 7-0 lead.

Gahr, which also lost to Downey in its first meeting, 28-6, came right back on its next possession with a 9-play drive for the score at the 10:57 mark of the second quarter.

Gomez passed to Saffell for the 12-yard TD. The extra point failed and Downey led, 7-6

On the ensuing Downey possession, the Vikings had a chance to score their second TD, but Garcia’s pass to Paz was just out of her reach.

Highlighting the drive were two completions to Rodriguez, a completion to junior Lupe Uiagalelei (4 catches, 23 Yds) and an 11-yard run by Garcia.

Gahr came back and was driving in the Vikings territory, but Downey junior Nyrie Birdwell had a big sack (flag pull) of Gomez to stall the drive.

Late in the quarter, Downey came right back and scored with just five seconds left in the half.

The 6-play drive culminated with a short 3-yard pass to Rodriguez for the touchdown. Rodriguez haulled the ball in right at the goal line with a crowd of Gahr players around her.

“It was real quick,” said Rodriguez, who has 18 TDs and 1,395 receiving yards this season. “I just took one step out and I caught the ball. Maddie just threw it out there.”

Highlighting the scoring drive was a short 7-yard catch by Uiagalelei, followed by an 8-yard catch by sophomore wide receiver Izel Valerio (2 receptions, 23 Yds.) and a quick 20-yard reception by Navarro, to set up the Rodriguez touchdown after a Downey time out.

“Even if she’s covered, I know that if I throw the ball to her she’s going to go up and make the play every time,” added Garcia.

Garcia scrambled and ran in the extra point to lead, 14-6 heading into the half.

Besides the five previously mentioned wide receivers that Garcia has to work with, there is an additional 12 players that have caught passes from Garcia this season.

Those 17 players have accounted for 5,933 yards this season, which puts Garcia at the top of the list in the country. Garcia, as recorded by Maxpreps, leads all flag football quarterbacks in the United States in yardage.

“It’s (the 17 players) very big because it’s nice knowing that even when my first offense isn’t in I have girls that I could trust and girls that can make a play,” said Garcia of her multitude of receivers.

The second half began with Downey on a 6-play scoring drive to take a 21-6 lead four minutes into the quarter.

Highlighting the drive was a couple of catches by Hernandez (33 yard) and Valerio (15 yards) and another short pass to Uiagalelei. That set up the second touchdown run by Garcia in the game. Garcia scrambled for the extra point and the 21-6 lead.

As long as that drive took, the final Downey scoring drive took just a few minutes after Valerio intercepted a Gahr pass from Gomez near midfield.

Garcia had another scramble for a long run down to the Gladiators 5-yard line. The next play was a short pass to Hernandez, followed by an extra point pass conversion from Garcia to junior wide receiver Lyric Walker for the 28-6 lead.

Gahr came right back with an answer following the Vikings score, as Gomez found Brown-Stanton for one of her six receptions in the end zone for the touchdown. The passing extra point fell incomplete.

The defense took over for both teams in the last nine minutes of the game as each team had an interception to end drives.

“Their defense is definitely a little different because they usually play zone on us,” said Rodriguez, of Gahrs man defense. “We were just really efficient on our burden to finish and that’s exactly what we did in the second half.”

Garcia was intercepted at the Gahr 30 yard line, which was followed by an interception by Navarro in the end zone thwarting a Gladiators scoring attempt.

Navarro caught the ball at the goal line and ran it out a few yards to end the threat.

A couple of possessions later, the victory formation ended the game with a Garcia kneel down.