Downey defeats Davis to grab third MMC title

The Downey High Knights chanted at game’s end, “Three-peat! Three-peat! Three-peat!”

This is the 63rd Downey football team, and the Knights did something Friday night that the first 62 couldn’t – win three consecutive league titles.

The Knights (8-1, 5-0) clinched no worse than a tie for the Modesto Metro Conference championship by crunching Grace Davis 42-7. The rain may have drenched Downey’s homecoming, but it hardly tarnished the Knights’ eighth straight victory.

“Those first 62 Downey teams would love to be in our shoes,” Downey coach Jeremy Plaa said. “So we won it for them.”

Queens and kings were crowned beneath umbrellas while fans huddled under awnings erected at the top of the Chuck Hughes Stadium stands. On the field, the Knights rolled to touchdowns on all five possessions of the first half. The 35-0 lead keyed a wound clock for a quick second half.

Downey dominated as the rain poured its hardest. Sophomore running back Malcome Green enjoyed his best night of the season with 166 yards on 20 carries. His easy 31-yard rip, after taking a wrap-around handoff from quarterback P.J. Wilson, made it 35-0 late at the half.

“Malcome is just a puppy. He’s starting to finish runs,” Plaa said. “He’ll be a great player for us.”

Wilson, before he trotted to the sideline for the second half, performed at his usual high level. He threw for a TD, rushed for a TD and accounted for a pair of 2-point conversions.

Receiver Andrew Raspo scored three touchdowns, two on receptions from Wilson and backup Tyler Lehikainen. The one he’ll surely remember, however, was his 12-yard “fumble-rooskie” for Downey’s second TD.

“What the heck? We’ve been practicing it for six weeks,” Plaa said.

Downey, bunched in its short-yardage formation on 4th-and-1, busted a move. Peter Kennedy, the Knights’ 277-pound center, held the snap between his legs while Wilson dashed to the right. Raspo delayed a few moments before he took the “handoff” and dashed to open ground to the left and into the end zone.

“It worked great,” Raspo said. “We plan to keep going from here.”

Davis (5-4, 1-4), struggling in the MMC after a 4-0 start, could not escape this mismatch. The Spartans were outgained 387-156, though they dodged the shutout late in the game on a 2-yard sneak by quarterback Zach Magana.

Meanwhile, Downey gears for an outright title next week against Gregori.

“We called this ‘championship week,’” Plaa said. “The kids also want to finish it out with a win next week. We’ll start on Gregori soon.”

This story was originally published October 31, 2014 at 11:31 PM with the headline "Downey defeats Davis to grab third MMC title."