St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy quarterback Jassi Williams (9) breaks away from a Ventura defender in the CIF-SS division 6 football playoffs on Saturday. Ventura defeated PMA 63-28. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)

DOWNEY – DOWNEY – It’s been a great five-year run for the St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy (PMA) football team.

With one CIF-Southern Section championship, three finals appearances, two CIF runnerups, one semifinal appearance and a CIF State runner-up, PMA coach Devah Thomas has put the Warriors on the map.

The Warriors lost in the 2021 championship to Aquinas, and advanced to the 2023 semifinals and last year won their first title in school history with a 38-19 win over Serrano.

PMA went on to advance to the CIF State 4-A Regional finals and defeated St. Augustine, 28-7 and lost in the state final to Sonora.

“It’s been a wonderful ride my two years here, almost picture-perfect,” said PMA athletic director James Covell, since he came to the Downey-area school. “Credit to these seniors. They worked hard.

“They really set the foundation for this program. (PMA) is definitely an option for youth and coach Thomas is a wonderful leader and leader of men. I’m excited for where this program is going.”

It was the first time in the Downey area that any team advanced to the regional championships.

In addition, they won 10 playoff games in the last three seasons.

“It’s been a great run with some great senior leadership,” said PMA coach Devah Thomas, of the last couple of years. “We just fell short a little bit. Man, we love these kids and we’re just trying to keep getting better.

“These kids played their butts off. They put team first. They wasn’t scared of nobody. We played as hard as they can and I’m proud of these kids.”

On Saturday (November 29) PMA fell to the visiting Ventura Cougars, 63-28, in a D6 title game before an overflow crowd.

Ventura (12-2) exploded for eight rushing touchdowns, which included a big first-half lead (42-7) that the Warriors couldn’t overcome.

A big part of the Ventura offense included sophomore running back James Watson and his four touchdown runs in the game of 44, 64, 9 and 2-yard scores.

CIF Division 8 2024 Offensive Player of the Year, Jassi Williams of PMA, led the Warriors through the early part of the third quarter, which included a 59-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Jassi completed 4 of 10 passes for 45 yards. He also ran for 64 yards on three carries.

A big part of the Warriors’ offense was lost in the early part of the third quarter when Williams went down with an injury and left the game in an ambulance.

“The kid is a great kid,” said Thomas, of his signal-caller. “I’m trying to go see him in the hospital (Saturday night) and check on him. We love Jassi. We tried to do it for him.”

The Cougars scored on their first play from scrimmage with a 44-yard run by Watson, to lead, 7-0.

In addition, Ventura senior quarterback Derek Garcia threw for nearly 300 yards on 13 of 17 passing and a touchdown. He also ran for two touchdowns (2, 22 yards).

Ventura added four more scores before PMA could get on the board in the second quarter.

After the Cougars took a commanding 35-0 lead with 5:25 left in the second quarter, the Warriors got into the scoring column.

On the third play by the Warriors after the fifth Ventura touchdown, Williams scored.

As he has done the last two seasons for the Warriors, Williams took control and just burst right up the middle untouched for a 59-yard score which sent the home crowd into a frenzy.

The touchdown was set up by two short runs by junior running back Le’Allyn “A.J.” Monroe.

PMA junior kicker Andrew Castaneda kicked the first of his four extra points in the game to trail, 35-7 with 4:01 left in the half.

Leading the Warriors on the ground was Monroe with 86 yards on 14 carries.

PMA senior wide receiver Jaylen Stokes had five catches for 71 yards and a touchdown (26 yards), while senior receiver Demari Nunley had a 34-yard touchdown catch. Nunley has committed to play at UNLV in Las Vegas next season.

Nunley, who transferred into St. Pius after his freshman year at St. Monica, talked of his three years at PMA.

“I feel like it was great every year we built it up,” he said. “Everybody stayed here and never left.”

Nunley also said of his quarterback Jassi, “He did a great job in the moment and became a player that took this team to new heights.”

The Warriors opened the second half with a 7-play drive for their second score.

However, it started with Williams but ended with backup sophomore quarterback Tyrek Conley.

The Warriors started the drive on their own 30-yard line and had two consecutive first downs on runs by Monroe for 13 and 11 yards to spot the ball inside Ventura territory on the 46-yard line.

Williams then completed an 8-yard pass to Stokes to the Cougars 38. After an incomplete pass by Williams the next play ended the night and PMA career for the quarterback who has guided the Warriors.

In true tough Williams style, the 5-10 quarterback ran for nine yards for a first down by the Ventura sideline.

He went down with a devastating ankle injury.

After a long wait for the ambulance and tending to Williams’ injury and stabilizing the quarterback, sophomore quarterback Tyrek Conley came in and finished the drive with the second Warriors score of the game.

It only took two plays, as Monroe ran for two yards and Conley threw his first pass of 26 yards to Stokes at the 10-yard line and he ran it into the end zone, with 9:29 left in the quarter to trail, 42-14.

Conley was 2 of 4 passing in the game for 60 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another.

After Watson ran for his third touchdown of the game (9 yards) on the following Ventura possession to lead, 49-14, with 7:12 left, PMA came right back with a score.

PMA junior Edward Spriggs ran the ensuing kickoff back 50 yards to the Ventura 20.

That was followed by a couple of runs each by Monroe and Conley to the 1-yard line. Monroe ran the ball over the middle with a quarterback sneak and the Warriors trailed, 49-21.

Unfortunately, on the play another top player for the Warriors went down with an injury – senior offensive lineman Malik Brooks.

Brooks, who has been a big part of the offensive and defensive line for the Warriors, would not return in the game.

Brooks reflected on his three years at PMA. “When I first got here, we fell short in the semifinals (2023) and I only played three games that season,” said Brooks, who has committed to USC next year. “When I came back that next year (’24) there were a whole lot of expectations for me, and we came out and we prevailed with all odds against us.”

PMA finished the regular season with a 1-9 record but made a run in the CIF playoffs and won the D8 title and advanced to the So Cal Regional finals.

“We took it and ran with it,” he added. He continued, “This is the best on best in Southern California in division 6. We didn’t give up but we just fell short (Saturday).

Brooks spoke of the injury to Williams. “That’s my brother, man. I seen it when his ankle popped out. It was bad and I shed some tears over that one.”

“In this moment, being at this stage in my life, we’re on to the next chapter – USC.”

As the paramedics were working on Williams, all of the Ventura players lined up on the sidelines and didn’t move as they stood there in respect for the injured PMA player.

Watson and Garcia each scored rushing TDs late in the third quarter and midway through the fourth to up the score to 63-21.

Not to give up to the end, after the Cougars final score, PMA scored its fourth TD with 2:55 remaining.

Monroe ran the ball for five yards and Conley found Nunley as he outran the Ventura defense for a 34-yard score.

PMA falls to Ventura in the CIF D6 Championship, 63-28