Preparation key in Downey win over Amador Valley as Knights move to 4-0
The non-league schedule was supposed to be their toughest in years.
Coach Jeremy Plaa expected his team to take its lumps over the first few weeks of the season against playoff regulars.
They would need to play their best football each week if they wanted to keep up.
And yet after four weeks, Downey is a perfect 4-0.
Their latest challenger: A completely new opponent in Amador Valley of the North Coast Section. A team that regularly qualifies for the NCS playoffs and last season went 4-0 in the East Bay - Valley League. Friday night was the first ever matchup of the two programs.
“One of the hard things about playing a team like Amador Valley is our kids don’t really know them,” Plaa said. “They don’t know the school, they don’t know what they’re about.”
Though they didn’t know much about the new opponent they knew about their quarterback Tristan Tia, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound three-star recruit with a rocket right arm, quick feet and six Division I scholarship offers.
“We knew we’re gonna have to stop their quarterback, you could tell he was the best player on their team,” Downey quarterback Carson Lamb said. “But all week, we were preparing. The theme of the week was preparation. And you can tell we worked all week. We were locked in, like, probably the best practice we’ve ever had all season.”
It took a total team effort to come away with the 47-36 victory. Lamb completed at least one pass to five different receivers, Julius Padron and Elijah Tamayo served as a complimentary 1-2 punch out of the backfield and defensive players stepped up in the absence of consistent contributors who missed the game with injury.
The Knights never trailed Friday night after opening up a 14-0 lead with just over two minutes left in the first quarter. They led 27-16 at halftime but midway through the third quarter, the Dons cut the lead to just five.
Downey punched back with a 15-yards touchdown pass and on the ensuing Amador Valley possession, Izzy Lopez forced a fumble that Daley Holmes jumped on. Nine plays later, Noah Sacuskie punched in a one-yard touchdown run and the Knights took a 40-22 lead with momentum on their side.
With Ryne Moore sidelined with a knee injury, Lopez took center stage. The senior set up shop in the Dons’ backfield defensively and when he was called on offensively, came through with a four-yard run on fourth-and-one to help the Knights keep a fourth-quarter drive alive.
“He’s one of our leaders,” Plaa said. “He’s got great energy. He wants to play and make plays. He wants to help us win. He’s that guy that’s kind of been in the shadows, but he’s been performing. Now he’s got a spotlight on him, and he did a great job tonight.”
Lamb completed 27 of 31 passes for 397 yards and three touchdowns. Ethan Woodmansee caught five passes with one touchdown and Joseph Ramirez caught three passes with two touchdowns.
Versatile running back leads the way
Padron watches about four extra hours of film per week.
Part of it is so the junior is extra prepared for his opponent each Friday night. He also puts in the extra film study because that’s what it’s like at the next level.
“It’s just like a constant thing I do, so when game time comes, I know what to expect,” Padron said.
Friday night, Padron did some of everything. He played offense, defense and special teams. The only thing that could keep him off the field was the occasional cramp, but even then after a few minutes of stretching, he was back.
“I just try to be there for everybody else,” he said.
Padron tallied 62 rushing yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns and 88 receiving yards with a touchdown catch. He entered the game with 303 total return yards, 24th in the nation and fifth in California.
“He’s a baller, you can tell from his stats,” Lamb said. “He’s a really good asset to the team. You can put him out there and you know he’s going to get the job done. You can see that he’s one of the best players on the team.”
Downey wants to finish non-league strong
The Knights get to enjoy the win for the next 24 hours. They are 4-0 after all.
But then it’s back to work. Their final non-league game is against Edison of Stockton, a 2023 Division I quarterfinal finisher.
“We need to not drink the rat poison,” Plaa said. “We need to not tell ourselves how good we are.”
There will be plenty of talk about how good the Knights are. How much better they are playing with each passing week. But after next week’s Edison contest, the schedule resets and the Knights begin their journey towards a CCAL title.
Plaa says he learned a lot about his team through the course of their first four non-league games. With injuries to key starters, others stepped up. Thursday night, each time Amador Valley cut into the Knights’ lead, they came through with a key turnover or drove down the field for another touchdown. At this point in the season, every team has players who are sore or banged up. But when you’re 4-0, it just feels different.
“I learned some stuff tonight about them,” Plaa said. “In the past, we’d scheduled two or three tough games and this year we’ve had four tough games in a row. The kids are banged up, they’re bruised up, but it’s a good type of hurt. They’re ready to come back out Monday and get to work again.”
