Summer search: Quarterbacks Lehikainen, Neves battle for Downey’s starting QB job

It’s quickly becoming the stuff of legend on the football field at Downey High School, the resident king of the Modesto Metro Conference.

Players with dreams of running routes or throwing the deep ball are tested on their first day – and every day after that.

Practices typically begin with each hopeful, whether they’re a baby-faced freshman or a battle-tested senior, filing into a line for a drill called simply “Routes on Air.”

“When a freshman comes in here, from the first day, we line up all the quarterbacks and wide receivers in the whole program,” head coach Jeremy Plaa said. “We have seven or eight pass routes and we’ll run through them every day, whether it’s your first day or your third year. Quarterbacks have to throw to every receiver, and receivers have to run every route.”

The Knights strive to score 200 touchdowns in a 30-minute period. Those that can catch and throw accurately are promised another tomorrow with Downey’s air force. Those that can’t are recommissioned as defenders or offensive linemen.

This approach has set the tone for the most explosive offense in the MMC. The Knights have produced two college quarterbacks – Aaron Zwahlen at Hawaii and P.J. Wilson at the College of the Redwoods – while winning three consecutive conference titles.

There is a heavy expectation on the next man up, an unspoken pressure that drives “Routes on Air,” but who is that next man?

That question won’t be answered anytime soon. There’s a fierce battle brewing between senior Tyler Lehikainen and junior Brett Neves, with a group of heralded underclassmen fighting to be noticed.

Lehikainen was a backup to Wilson last fall, appearing in eight games. Neves guided the junior varsity team to a 10-0 mark and was called up to the varsity team for the Knights’ Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoff run.

Right now, the battle is too close to call. Plaa will let his summer schedule create the separation. He’s doubled the number of passing tournaments they’ll attend to six.

“We’re trying to put them in as many stressful situations as possible and see how they respond,” Plaa said. “We’ll take video and keep score, and do things like that to evaluate.

“We feel like we throw so much at them, but it’s also something that we have to do.”

Lehikainen completed six of his 14 passes for 93 yards last fall. His only touchdown passes came in blowout victories over El Capitan (75-28) and Grace Davis (42-7).

Neves grew quickly in his first season in the program. The dual-threat quarterback completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for 1,763 yards and 21 touchdowns.

He was also the Knights’ most dangerous runner, racking up 369 yards and a team-best 11 touchdowns.

“It was his first year. Every year in the program, they make these huge strides,” Plaa said. “This week last year, he only had about three weeks under his belt. He looked like a big, strong freshman. This year, it appears he’s getting it down and making those strides.”

There’s a third stealing reps this summer: sophomore Matt Williams.

While it’s likely Williams will inherit Neves’ starting spot on the JV, Plaa wanted to see how Williams would handle the speed and intensity of the varsity game. So he threw him into the fire at the Fresno State passing tournament.

“He was nervous,” Plaa said of Williams’ turn at Fresno State, “but it was good experience. It’s the closest thing we can get to actually throwing on the pads.”

The Knights also competed at a similar event hosted by San Jose State, and continued their grueling summer search on Tuesday with a local passing league. Downey welcomed Ceres, Beyer and Escalon.

Plaa commends Lehikainen and Neves’ commitment to not only the competition – “They’re focused and have to get better,” he added, “or the other guy gets more reps” – but the team. Plaa said both will play a major role in Downey’s success, whether they’re starting under center or not.

“They’re both good enough athletes that whoever doesn’t make it will be at another position and getting playing time,” Plaa said. “They also know that as the QB, they’re one of the best players on the team. And you can’t be one of the best players without being a great teammate. All we preach is team first and selflessness.”

This story was originally published June 23, 2015 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Summer search: Quarterbacks Lehikainen, Neves battle for Downey’s starting QB job."