Modesto’s Downey High School returns to the softball postseason for first time in nearly a quarter-century

There are rebuilding projects, and then there are those like Downey High School softball, a program buried so deep beneath its own rubble that hope and light don’t exist.

The Knights went nearly 21/2 decades between postseason berths, and just four years ago, they went 0-18.

Longtime travel-ball coach Tony Harper understood his monumental task when he took the reins before the 2014 season.

Being a softball coach wasn’t enough. Not at this school.

He had to be a psychologist and a cheerleader, too, chasing away demons while coaxing the campus’ top athletes onto the diamond.

He gave himself three years to complete the excavation, to return the Knights to the light of the postseason.

The girls did it in two, finishing 7-5 in the Modesto Metro Conference and snapping what is believed to be a 23-year playoff drought.

“Just to go to the postseason is such a benefit. I think it’s all positive, no matter what we do,” Harper said. “They know. They go to school. They hear people talk. It’s been a long time coming for this team.

“Three or four years ago, they didn’t win a single game. That was indicative of the last 10 to 12 years. They’re starting to realize, ‘Hey, we might be able to do something there.’”

While they earned a berth to the postseason party, the Knights aren’t expected to stay long.

Downey (11-11) received the No. 16 seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II tournament and will face No. 1 Benicia at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Sacramento Softball Complex.

The odds are against the Knights, one of four Stanislaus District teams to qualify in Division II.

No. 8 Gregori takes on No. 9 Del Oro at 4 p.m., and two Central California Conference teams occupy the 5p.m. slot: No. 5 Merced vs. No. 12 Rodriguez, and No. 13 Atwater vs. No. 4 St. Mary’s.

“I want to compete anytime we get on the field,” Harper said. “A 16 beating a No. 1 isn’t realistic. I will sit down and see what they have, but I want these girls to stop worrying about what’s in their dugout and start worrying about what’s in our dugout. If we do that, we’ll start to develop a swagger.”

Downey softball has lacked any semblance of a swagger.

The Knights have enjoyed just one winning season in the last 11 years, according to MaxPreps, and suffered through a stretch when they won just two games in three seasons (2010-12).

Harper’s first assignment was to assess the talent arriving and returning. He knew this: Downey would build around juniors Larissa Kilgore and Ashley Bonham, a player whose game he fell in love with while watching her compete against his daughter, Cal State Stanislaus sophomore and former Enochs star Cheyenne Harper, as a freshman.

“They were here for the worst of the worst,” Harper said of his catalysts and captains. “They’re two strong foundations to start building the program on.”

Kilgore and Bonham are hitting over .400 and have combined for 56 hits, 32 runs, 29 RBIs and 10 doubles, and they help form the spine of the defense. Kilgore fills the hole at second base, while Bonham has 21 pickoffs at catcher.

Harper says Bonham’s competitive nature, even in a blowout loss, convinced him Downey could win sooner rather than later.

“I remember thinking, ‘Man, they’re losing 10-0, and this kid is laying out for balls and hitting my kid,’” Harper said. “‘If there is anytime in the future that I can coach Downey, that’s the kind of kid I want to coach.’

“It’s not always gravy, but that kid is a true inspiration. She gives 150 percent all the time.”

Sophomores Haley Viscovich (.400, five doubles) and Deja Acosta (.569, 26 runs, both team highs) were added to the mix last season, providing lineup protection for Kilgore and Bonham. Another freshman addition last season was Harper’s daughter Sierra, who is 10-7 with a 3.26 ERA and 16 complete games this year.

Suddenly, Downey had power and potential.

Once he identified his players, he set out to breed confidence and cohesion. Downey went 8-13-2 in Harper’s first season, finishing fourth in the MMC at 5-7.

“Trying to change the culture is what I wanted to do. That’s the very first thing,” Harper said. “If you don’t believe there’s any chance you can win, then you’re not going to win. Softball, for me, is so mental. You have to have the right mindset.”

Things began to click this season. The Knights swept Beyer 7-4 and 7-2 and Modesto 5-0 and 6-0. Last year, the Knights went 1-3 against those two teams.

Though its performances against the MMC’s brass – champion Enochs and runner-up Gregori – were lackluster and largely disappointing, Harper is realistic about the pace of a rebuilding project this grandiose.

“We don’t fully have that mindset yet. We’re still on the ground floor of trying to change the culture,” Harper said. “This year, we’ve made leaps and bounds. Next year, the playing field evens, and it’s going to be really exciting.”

This story was originally published May 12, 2015 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Modesto’s Downey High School returns to the softball postseason for first time in nearly a quarter-century."