DOWNEY - Downey High School recently completed its spring football practices in preparation for their summer workouts and the fall football season.Head Coach Jack Williams and his staff are excited as the season is quickly approaching and the potential he sees in his team. Running backs coach Charles Lozano said that "as a staff, we were impressed with the entire team." Lozano went on to say that "coming into spring ball, there were a lot of questions that needed to be answered. There were several key contributors from last season that we lost to graduation, so we were looking for younger players to step up, not just with their ability on the field, but to become leaders and help guide the younger players and show them what hard work is really about." Overall, the Downey High staff was very pleased with how their players competed and got better each day as a team. With the loss of players such as Jabari Ruffin, Dallas Lopez, Ralph Regalado and Alex Martinez to graduation, Downey will certainly be young in key positions. Lozano stated that "each player brings their own unique set of skills and leadership capabilities." With this year's team, the staff are asking their players to prepare hard and learn as much as they can and most importantly, establish their own legacies. Coach Lozano went on to say that "it is important that they do not try to be like players from the past, but to play within their own abilities and let the chips fall where they may." Lozano said that the quarterback position will be young this fall with the departure of standout signal-caller Dallas Lopez. Lozano said that the guys who have been taking snaps from center have been working extremely hard but will need to get as many reps as possible. Coach Lozano really liked how the offensive and defensive linemen competed against each other in every drill, as did the wide receivers and defensive backs. Head Coach Williams embraces the idea of competition and believes that brings out the best in each athlete and prepares them to become better players. Williams and his staff believe that all players need to step up, no matter what their role is on the team. The coaching staff believes that no one person is bigger than the team, so every player needs to be ready to be a leader. The Downey Vikings are certainly looking forward to winning another league title and perhaps, a nice run in the C.I.F. playoffs.

********** Published: June 21, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 10