Roundup: Downey beats Enochs Thursday; three other teams remain undefeated in league
The Downey High football team kept its hopes at an unbeaten season alive with a blowout win of Central California Athletic League opponent Enochs on Thursday night.
After a relatively quiet passing night last week against Turlock, Conner Stoddard and the Knights offense were back to normal as Stoddard threw for 455 yards and six touchdowns en route to a 49-13 win.
Receivers Gabe Hernandez and Gavin Garcia were phenomenal once again. Hernandez finished with 14 catches for 202 yards and three touchdowns, and Garcia totaled seven catches for 174 yards and two scores. On the ground, Kimoni Ragland put himself over the 430-yard mark with 98 yards on 11 carries. Stoddard finished with 46 yards and one touchdown on five carries.
The Knights (8-0, 3-0) led 21-6 at halftime. By the end of the third quarter, they broke the game wide open and any Knights starters sat the fourth.
Enochs (3-5, 1-2) fell after picking up a big win over Pitman last week.
Both teams have two CCAL games left as Downey travels to Gregori before ending its season hosting Pitman and Enochs plays at Turlock followed by a home game against Modesto.
Modesto Christian 30, Livingston 6: The Crusaders spoiled Livingston’s homecoming, coming out on top in an important game for playoff seeding. After going ahead 8-6 heading into halftime, they scored 22 unanswered points in the second half to secure the victory. The win keeps Modesto Christian in the Division VI playoff picture ahead of its final game against unbeaten Hilmar.
Escalon 55, Riverbank 6: The Cougars dominated a still winless Bruins team. With the win, Escalon evens its Trans-Valley League record at 2-2 with games in the final two weeks against Ripon and Livingston, respectively. Riverbank will have an uphill climb if it wants to get a win this season. Its final two games are against Livingston and Hilmar.
Atwater 23, Central Valley 20: It looked like the Hawks would get their first Central California Conference win on Friday night after taking a second-quarter 14-10 lead over the Falcons. Atwater scored 13 unanswered points to end the frame, taking a 23-14 lead into halftime. While the Hawks added a touchdown in the third, they were unable to get over the hump after a late-game interception ended their final drive with under a minute left. They have two more chances to get a league win against Merced and El Capitan.
Gregori 28, Pitman 21: Two Joey Stout touchdowns, a 33-yard reception and a 91-yard punt return, gave the Pride a 21-14 lead in the second half. From that point on, Gregori running back Michael Marsden took over. The junior scored two of his three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to lead the comeback win, keeping the Jaguars undefeated in CCAL play through three weeks.
Turlock 58, Modesto 15: The Bulldogs bounced back from a heartbreaking last-second loss to Downey with a dominant showing against the Panthers. JT Foreman finished with two rushing touchdowns, two receiving touchdowns and a two-point conversion, and Cole Gilbert threw for four scores — two to Foreman and two to Peter Mello. The Panthers will look for their first league win next week against Pitman, while the Bulldogs will hope to string together two in a row against Enochs.
Davis 31, Beyer 0: The Spartans ended their three-game losing streak in Friday night’s win over the Patriots. It is Davis High’s second Western Athletic Conference win this season. The shutout loss is the second of league play for Beyer. Davis will look to pick up a win next week against Johansen, which fell to Lathrop, before taking on Ceres in the season’s final week.
Lathrop 28, Johansen 14: The Vikings played the WAC’s third-place team well. Johansen outscored the Spartans 14-7 in the second half, but a 21-point deficit after the first two quarters proved too much to overcome. Johansen has two chances to avoid a winless season, next week against Davis and Week 11 against Beyer.
Los Banos 29, Ceres 28 (OT): The matchup between two of the top five WAC teams proved to be worth the price of admission as spectators got their money’s worth and then some in an overtime thriller. Los Banos led 21-13 in the fourth quarter, but a touchdown and successful two-point conversion tied the game with 1 minute, 25 seconds left. The Bulldogs scored a touchdown and extra point on the first overtime possession. Needing at least seven points, the Tigers went for the win, converting a two-point conversion after answering with a touchdown to remain undefeated in league play.
Orestimba 70, Waterford 31: The Warriors remained undefeated in Southern League play with a big home win over Waterford. Orestimba advances to 7-1 and will look to complete a perfect league record the next two weeks against Denair and Gustine.
Ripon Christian 49, Mariposa County 0: Grant Sonke, Trey Fasani and Griffin de Abreu had their hands all over the Knights’ 28-0 first-half lead. Three second-half touchdowns cemented the Knights’ fourth league win this season.
Big Valley Christian 54, Mira Loma 18: After giving up the game’s first touchdown, the Lions scored 28 unanswered points to take a 22-point lead into halftime. The Lions finished with six total rushing touchdowns as they advanced to 2-0 in Central California Athletic Association play.
This story was originally published October 15, 2022 at 9:56 AM.
