Downey stays undefeated as strong fourth quarter leads the Knights past Tracy
Every Monday and Tuesday at practice, the Downey High football team has drills specifically designed for simulating the fourth quarter.
On Friday night against Tracy, the Knights put those simulations into action as they entered the final frame trailing 7-3 to a team that could keep possession for most of the quarter with its run-first, triple option offense.
The Knights’ already stout defense raised its level of play and the offense came along to match as they scored 21 points in the final frame to secure a 24-13 win in a Sac-Joaquin Section top 20 matchup to finish their non-league schedule.
“We train fourth quarter ball,” said senior linebacker Ethen Rowland. “We come prepared to play the fourth quarter. We’re a fourth quarter team.”
For most of the game, both teams’ defenses did their job. Downey (5-0) neutralized the Bulldogs’ running attack and Tracy (4-1) made life difficult for Knights’ quarterback Conner Stoddard, holding him to just 151 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
With its defense playing a near perfect game, the offense had to score and the Knights were forced to switch the gameplan from the usual pass-first approach.
They called on Kimoni Ragland, starting running back whose previous season high in carries was 19. The senior carried the load with 26 carries for 112 yards and two fourth quarter touchdowns.
“We had a good talk with our coaches and they told me that the game is in my hands and I had to make the best of it.” Ragland said.
He did all of his damage between the tackles and scored on runs of three and eight yards in the final frame to put the game out of reach.
“We challenged our offensive line (saying), ‘You gotta step up in the second half,’” Downey coach Jeremy Plaa said. “We decided we were able to run the ball and Kimoni Ragland took over.
“Good teams have to be able to run the ball when the time comes. We had to run the ball tonight and we did it well.”
Tracy adjusted, too.
An 85-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter was the Bulldogs’ first score of the game. Its last touchdown came from a fourth quarter quarterback scramble on a broken play but by then, it was too late. The Downey defense had done its job, getting the offense enough possessions to build a comfortable lead.
“We were relentless, and that was all the defense,” said Stoddard, whose lone touchdown pass to Camden Rush came in the fourth quarter. “They kept going and that’s why they got so many stops and we got the ball so many times.”
The Knights had seen the triple option before. The 2021 season ended with a first-round playoff loss to Lodi, which ran the option to perfection.
Friday night was a different story as Downey eliminated the Bulldogs’ rushing attack, forcing Tracy to pass the ball more than it had in any game all season.
“I thought we shut it down,” Plaa said. “We forced them to throw the ball, which isn’t their game and once we went up two scores, it was hard for them to come back.”
Defensive stands in the second caused a goal line interception in the third and a forced fumble and another interception on back-to-back fourth quarter Tracy possessions. Rowland was involved in both late game plays, laying a punishing hit on a Tracy ball carrier to force the fumble and capitalized on a bobbled pass to come up with the sliding interception near the Downey sideline.
“It seemed surreal, it felt like I was playing Madden,” he said. “I got the pick … and I was just like ‘What happened?’ it was just kind of there.”
The Knights remain perfect going into their bye week, a statement that they are not a team to be taken lightly.
“It was important for us to prove where we are right now,” Plaa said. “It was important that we showed that we can play a good team like Tracy … and we just found a way to win it.”
This story was originally published September 17, 2022 at 8:17 AM.
