Downey rides Neves in flashy varsity debut over Pitman

No one could have blamed Downey High junior Brett Neves for some overgrown butterflies zooming around his stomach. It is the required sensation before a teenager’s first varsity start at quarterback.

“I was a little antsy,” Neves admitted. “I was stepping up from the JV team. Everything is a little quicker and a little faster up here.”

If Neves admitted to some pregame nerves, he made that anxiety work for him. All he did was pass for 331 yards and three touchdowns Friday night, all devoid of turnovers, as he and the Knights knocked off Pitman 30-14.

For Downey, the win meant more than just your garden-variety success on opening night. Neves and the Knights did something quarterbacks P.J. Wilson and Aaron Zwahlen couldn’t – they earned the program’s first win over Pitman. The Pride had won the previous four meetings.

The Knights, waving their arms and screaming 30 minutes before kickoff, clearly zeroed in on this night. The seniors no doubt remembered the sting of last year’s 36-33 loss after leading 26-7.

“I was a sophomore on last year’s team. That loss was ridiculous,” tailback Malcome Green said. “It was a real eye-opener. I knew that would not happen again.”

The thermometer read 95 degrees at kickoff at steamy Chuck Hughes Stadium, and Downey’s early intensity matched the temperature.

The game figured to break down to the performance level at quarterback, where both teams introduced untested starters. Without question, Neves (28-18-0 – 331) won the matchup.

Downey forced a turnover on the game’s third play from scrimmage, an interception by Tyran Daniels, to trigger two first-quarter touchdowns.

Two fourth-down conversions by Neves propelled the Knights. They scored their first touchdown on a fourth-and-3 from the 18, a Neves dart over the middle to Calvin Grover.

About 15 minutes later on a fourth-and-9 from the Pitman 29, Neves somehow eluded pressure – spinning away with his hand on the synthetic turf – and found a leaping Grover near the sideline at the 6. Green pounded in on the next play.

“The ref told me, ‘If you have enough athleticism to put your hand on the ground and make a play, I won’t call the play dead,’” Neves said.

Downey dominated for long stretches. The score would have gotten out of hand if not for Pitman’s hustling defense, which denied the Knights three times inside the 10.

Still, Downey led by only 15-0 until – on the first play from scrimmage in the second half – Neves’ rainbow pass landed softly in the arms of streaking Trevor Farris, who caught it at midfield and finished the 80-yard strike.

“I settled down in the second half,” Neves said.

Downey’s warp-speed offense won’t lose acceleration this season with Neves, Green and three skilled receivers – Grover (six catches, 124 yards), senior Andrew Raspo (five for 103) and Farris. Grover staked out his own home in the middle of the Pitman secondary.

What pleased coach Jeremy Plaa, however, was the defense. Aaric Holt sacked Pride quarterback Jacob Perez in the end zone for a safety and a 24-0 lead early in the third quarter. At that point, Downey had limited Pride to three first downs.

Pitman started senior Tony Aguilar at quarterback but quickly switched to Perez, a junior who eventually gave the Pride some traction. In fact, the Pride encouraged its fans with a second-half comeback not unlike last year’s against Downey.

A 4-yard reverse by Josh Fletcher on fourth down resulted in Pitman’s first TD. Early in the fourth quarter, the Pride closed to 24-14 on Perez’s 80-yard catch-and-run to Titus Schammel.

Downey responded on the first play after Pitman’s failed onside kick – Neves’ 39-yard scoring pass to a sprinting Raspo.

Pitman figures to improve on offense. More than a few unforced errors stalled the visitors from Turlock.

“We must have lined up wrong 10 times. We’re doing some stupid stuff. That’s discipline,” coach Tom Tyler told his team afterward. “We’ve got to fix us on Monday. Monday won’t be much fun. We all lost, and we’re all responsible.”

Downey will go forward with a defense featuring Holt, linebacker Dwayne Heller and end Nathan Ramonett. Then there’s Neves and another fast-tempo attack taking shape.

“Brett definitely had some nerves and sometimes did not go through all his reads,” Plaa said. “But he had no turnovers, and our previous quarterbacks struggled with that on the first night.”

But not Neves.

This story was originally published August 29, 2015 at 12:58 AM with the headline "Downey rides Neves in flashy varsity debut over Pitman."