Championship hopes dashed for Downey, Bosco
DOWNEY – The Downey High School football team was defeated by the Cajon Cowboys in the C.I.F. Division Four championship game at Downey last Saturday night, 54-28. The Vikings finished their season with an overall record of 11-3 and were 4-1 in S.G.V.L. play.
Downey defeated Etiwanda 47-14 in the first round, beat Corona del Mar 49-42 in the second round and defeated Capistrano Valley, 41-21, in the third round to advance to the championship game.
In the Downey/Cajon game, the Vikings led 14-13 at the end of the first quarter. The Cowboys outscored Downey, 21-7, in the second quarter and took a 34-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Vikings scored first in the third quarter to cut the lead to 34-28 with 10:40 remaining on the clock. That was as close as the Vikings would get, however, as Cajon outscored Downey 14-7 in the third quarter and led 48-28 as the third quarter concluded.
Cajon added six more points in the fourth quarter and came away with the 54-28 win.
The Vikings struggled to contain Cowboy quarterback Jayden Daniels. Daniels completed 18/28 pass attempts for 293 yards, four touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 138.8. Daniels also carried the ball 21 times for 281 yards and four touchdowns.
The Cowboy receiving corps was led by Darren Jones’ eight catches for 121 yards, Tre Noriega’s four catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns and Dejuan Moon’s two catches for 46 yards and one touchdown.
The Downey defense was led by Nicholas Whitney’s six solo and six assisted tackles, Baraq Ross’ six solo and three assisted tackles, Robert Barron’s two solo and five assisted tackles, Brennan Fields’ five solo and one assisted tackle and Jacob Manetta’s one solo and five assisted tackles.
BOSCO FOOTBALL: The St. John Bosco football team was defeated by Mater Dei, 49-24, last Saturday night at Cerritos College in the C.I.F. Division One championship game.
The Braves defeated Bishop Amat 35-21 in the first round, defeated Rancho Cucamonga 55-28 in the second round and defeated Corona Centennial 62-34 in the third round to advance to the championship game.
St. John Bosco finished their season with an overall record of 11-3 and a Trinity League record of 4-1. The Braves finished the season ranked tenth in the Xcellent Top 25 Poll, third nationally and second in California.
In the St. John Bosco/Mater Dei game, the Monarchs scored first and led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. Mater Dei outscored the Braves 14-10 in the second quarter and took a 21-10 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Both teams scored a touchdown and converted their respective PAT’s in the third quarter and the Monarchs held on to their 11-point lead, 28-17, as the third quarter came to an end. Mater Dei closed the game out in the fourth quarter by outscoring the Braves 21-7 and claimed the 49-24 win.
Brave quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei completed 19 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Uiagalelei also carried the ball eight times for 48 yards. The Brave rushing attack was led by George Holani’s 21 carries for 54 yards and one touchdown.
The St. John Bosco receiving corps were led by Kristopher Hutson’s seven catches for 61 yards. Jake Bailey’s six catches for 47 yards and one touchdown and Joshua Delgado’s five catches for 51 yards.
Coach Negro is proud of his team’s performance this season and looks to be back for another C.I.F. Division One championship run next season.
WARREN BOYS BASKETBALL: The Warren High School boys’ basketball team currently has an overall record of 3-3 and will begin San Gabriel Valley League play when they travel to Lynwood on Jan. 10 to play the Knights.
The Bears will host cross-town rival Downey on Jan. 19 in the first of their two scheduled league meetings.
The Bears competed in the Whittier Turkey Shootout November 22-25 where they went 2-2. Warren defeated Whittier 71-52 in their first game on 11/21, were defeated by Compton Centennial 63-53 in their second game on 11/22, were defeated by La Habra 63-49 in their third game on 11/24 and defeated Hacienda Heights Wilson 71-49 in their fourth game on 11/25.
Warren was defeated by Marina 55-53 on Monday night and defeated Compton Centennial on Tuesday night 74-64 in the Artesia Winter Classic. The Bears are also scheduled to play Torrance at Torrance on 12/19 and South Torrance at Warren on 12/21. Warren will also be competing in the Rancho Mirage Holiday Hoops Classic December 27-30.
Coach Zaiid Leflore, his staff and players are all looking forward to the 2017-18 basketball season. Dominguez will once again be the team to beat in league play after finishing last season with an overall record of 19-8 and a S.G.V.L. record of 9-1.
Warren finished last season with an overall record of 10-16 and were 3-7 in S.G.V.L. play. The Bears did not participate in postseason play.
DOWNEY BOYS BASKETBALL: The Downey High School boys’ basketball team currently has an overall record of 3-1 and will begin San Gabriel Valley League play when they host the Paramount Pirates at Downey on Jan. 10.
Downey competed in the San Dimas Tournament November 28th through Dec. 2 and finished with a record of 3-1. The Vikings defeated Diamond Bar 63-40 in their first game on 11/28, defeated Kaiser 64-45 in their second game on 11/29, were defeated by Villa Park 73-61 in their third game on 12/1 and defeated Murrieta Valley 55-40 in their fourth and final game on 12/2.
Downey is scheduled to play La Serna on Dec. 23, Temecula Valley on 12/27 and Cerritos on January 2nd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Vikings will travel to cross-town rival Warren on January 19th in the first of their two scheduled league meetings.
Coach Larry Shelton, his staff and players are all looking forward to the start of basketball season and competing for a S.G.V.L. championship. Dominguez will be the team to beat in league play when they return a very talented group of players. The Dons finished last season with an overall record of 19-8 and a S.G.V.L. record of 9-1.
The Vikings finished last season with an overall record of 14-13 and lost to San Clemente 68-63 in the first round of the C.I.F Division 1A playoffs.