Modesto's air attack tops Downey in offensive show

The Modesto High Panthers rifled it through the air, powered it on the ground and, if they so needed, would have dug underground for more yards.

That's how it looked Friday night at Chuck Hughes Stadium as the Panthers, behind four passing touchdowns and two rushing scores by quarterback Klayton Miller, overwhelmed Downey High 65-28.

The spoils for the Panthers (6-3, 4-0) can be summed up quickly: Fifth straight win, a playoff berth in the pocket, and a Modesto Metro Conference title showdown vs. Enochs next week.

"It's right where we wanted to be all year, to play for a championship," Modesto coach Rod Long said. "We came out a little sluggish but we finished."

Downey, which honored 21 seniors this night, bolted to a 7-0 lead on its first possession. Jason Lee found Javon Kelly for the first of three touchdown passes but, from there, it was all Modesto.

Simply, the Panthers did what they pleased, which meant for another long night for the Downey defense. Miller completed six of eight passes for 278 yards and the four long-distance touchdowns as he took full advantage of the Knights' crowded close to the line to stop Modesto's James Ingram and Arquel Rogers.

Ingram carried 23 times for 232 yards and Rogers closed fast with 162 yards on 18 attempts. Modesto totaled 464 yards on the ground and 742 overall, more than enough to offset Lee and Downey's nationally-recognized passing game. A crowd of about 2,000 dwindled after the Panthers scored on each side of halftime to lead 44-16 early in the second half.

Lee, chased all night by Modesto's careful but persistent pass rush, completed 34 of 54 passes for 382 yards. But three sacks (only his quick feet averted more trouble) and three interceptions blunted the Downey offense. The Knights (1-3, 2-7) produced 503 net yards, a nice number but not nearly enough against the Panthers' balance.

"Klayton (Miller) had a good week of practice and was motivated for this game," Long said. "Downey just loaded up in the box. I think we showed we could do more than just run the ball."

Miller's displayed a strong arm downfield, compared to Lee's precision in Downey's fast-break spread. The Modesto junior defined the game, supplemented by the Panther running backs, with touchdowns of 60 and 51 yards to Andre Barry, 52 yards to Ingram and 37 yards to Anthony Salinas.

Lee could not match such production, though he found Kelly 17 times for 197 yards. He slumped his shoulders after his third interception late in the game, but it didn't matter.