Downey routs Pitman to cap undefeated season, awaits playoff seeding
In the weeks leading up to the end of the season, Downey High coach Jeremy Plaa didn’t want to talk about the possibility that was just a few games away.
He wanted to keep the team from looking too far ahead, but with no more regular-season games, the team can appreciate the milestone season it just completed.
Downey’s 70-13 win over Central California Athletic League opponent Pitman capped just the third perfect regular season in school history.
“It’s a great accomplishment,” Plaa said. “This is the 71st team in Downey’s history and the third time it’s been done. … Our kids just had a ton of pride. They wanted to finish strong.”
The Knights (10-0, 5-0 CCAL) put on a show for the alumni, parents and current students who filled the stands Friday night as they opened the game by intercepting Pride quarterback Drew Walker’s pass on the first play from scrimmage.
They instantly turned that into a 40-yard passing touchdown on their first offensive play from Conner Stoddard to Camden Rush. After that, the Knights were off to the races. They scored 56 first-half points. Kicker Elijah Reyneveld didn’t miss an extra point on the night, making all 10 attempts.
Stoddard finished with six first-half touchdown passes and 247 yards on 11 completions.
Rush and Gabe Hernandez finished with three and two touchdown receptions, respectively, and have combined with Stoddard to form lethal connections this season.
The trio, along with the majority of the senior class that was honored pregame on Senior Night, have been playing together for three seasons.
Andres Tamayo and Julian Narvaez on defense came away with interceptions.
“Sophomore year was tough and junior year we got better, but I feel like senior year it just all came together,” Stoddard said. “It was really nice to see all that come to fruition … (those two years) really helped us get that 10-0 this year.”
Those same alumni, parents and students that were in the stands during the game filled the field after. They took pictures with players they knew and congratulated those they didn’t. It was a family atmosphere.
While they’re enjoying the moment, players know they want more than just a perfect regular season. A first-round home loss to Lodi in last year’s Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs put a damper on an otherwise successful 2021 season.
The Knights feel like they’ve earned a bye this year, possibly even a top-two seed in the Division II bracket that will include Manteca and Del Oro as other possible top seeds.
“We’re really hoping for a bye,” Downey linebacker Ethen Rowland said. “We only made it to (the first round) last year so if we get a bye, we’ve already surpassed that. We’ll be watching on Sunday.”
Until then, they’ll celebrate the milestone season. Plaa made plans to hit In-N-Out on the way home. Stoddard liked the sound of that as well. Sunday everything resets and Monday, they take their first step into the postseason.
“We’ve got a new season that starts on Monday,” Plaa said. “10-0 is good, but people in the playoffs aren’t going to care that we were 10-0. So we got to come back on Monday focused and ready to go.
“We’ll enjoy this until … we figure out who we’re playing next. Hopefully we get a one or two seed, I think we deserve it and hopefully we can play one or two more games here at Chuck Hughes Stadium.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2022 at 7:53 AM.
