Downey water polo wins CIF Division 4 championship

Downey players show off their championship patches and plaque after winning the CIF Division 4 Water Polo title. The Vikings defeated Yucaipa, 10-5, Saturday, November 12 at the William Woollett, Jr. Aquatics Center.

DOWNEY – Downey High School boys water polo coach Uriel Villa has numerous CIF water polo titles in years past, but finally he can add a championship as a head coach.

Usually, a coach does not like to be pushed into the water at any time except on one occasion - to celebrate a championship.

That finally happened last Saturday (November 12), as Downey defeated Yucaipa, 10-5, in a CIF-Southern Section Division 4 championship game.

The title was the first since the 1972 season and third in program history.

The first championship came in 1962 and in addition, Downey, which was a powerhouse in the 50’s and 60’s, was a runner-up on five different occasions.

Villa, who won three titles while playing at Montebello high school and one as an assistant coach, now has a title as a head coach.

“I was excited, but it was nice that we accomplished our goal,” he said. “It was so rewarding and an amazing feeling of reward.

“We realized after the quarterfinals (7-5 win over top seed Crean Lutheran), we knew we had a chance.”

Villa, who comes from a water polo dynasty family, with sister Brenda Villa a legendary women’s Olympic player and older brother Edgar.

“At a young age, I put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed,” Uriel Villa said. “As ma player, I wanted to succeed. As a coach, I owe a lot of knowledge of watching my sister (Brenda) and brother (Edgar.)”

Leading the way in the championship against Yucaipa for Downey (20-2) was freshman Matthew Moran with four goals, followed by a pair of goals from senior Johan Gayton and freshman Nathan Martinez. A third freshman Leonardo Garcia and senior Jordan Rodriquez had a goal each.

“He’s a beast,” Villa said of Moran. “Matthew (Moran) showed his all-around game. He is a great center.”

Gayton scored the first goal of the game for the 1-0 lead, after Martinez drew a penalty.

Yucaipa came right back to tie the game 1-1.

Martinez and Garcia gave the Vikings a 3-1 lead after one period.

The back-and-forth affair started with a Carter Mierzwik goal by the Thunderbirds to trail, 3-2 in the second period.

In the fourth minute of the period, Gayton answered with a backhand for the 4-2 lead.

The turning point of the game took place in the second period, as the Vikings took a 7-2 halftime lead.

Moran scored the first two of his four goals in the period and Martine added a single goal.

The Downey defense shined in the third period, denying three consecutive shorthanded opportunities on a man advantage.by Yucaipa. The Vikings were led by senior goalie Diego Campos. The Viking defense also had seven field blocks in the game.

Campos had eight saves in the game. “Our defense really stepped up,” Campos added. “At halftime, it was a good indicator that we had a chance to win.”

Rodriguez and Moran scored for the Vikings in the period for the 9-2 lead heading into the final quarter.

Yucaipa came alive in the fourth period with three unanswered goals to trail by only four, 9-5, but that was it as the Downey defense again shut them down the rest of the way over the final 3:43.

Downey added another goal, and the bench was rewarded with some championship game time in the last minute.

“It was beautiful, with all of my hard work that led up to that moment,” Campos said. “It was very nice.”

Downey players and coach Uriel Villa and his assistant coaches celebrate in the water after winning the CIF Division 4 Water Polo championship. The Vikings defeated Yucaipa, 10-5, at the William Woollett, Jr. Aquatics Center Saturday November 12.

Campos was also out of the water and as the buzzer sounded, the seniors led the charge and took the victory plunge along with Villa for the first time as a coach to win a title.

“It feels like I finally accomplished something as a head coach,” Villa said. “It’s nice to accomplish a goal. We want to start our own dynasty and build something special here at Downey.”

Villa, with the help of his assistant coaches, Sage Bertsch, Ayelen Gimenez and Alyssa Amaya, the team has a bright future with the multitude of young players.

“Experiencing this level of success with this group of seniors is real special,” Villa added. “They were an important part of last season’s semifinalist team, and that experience helped us reach our boys programs first championship game since 1972. Competing for CIF championships was this coaching staffs goal back in 2017.

Coach Amaya and I believed with the support from the schools administration and the buy-in from the community, that we can make it happen.”

Downey loses in CIF State playoffs

Receiving an invitation to the CIF State Regionals, the Downey Boys Water Polo team faced a tough opponent from the CIF San Diego Section last Tuesday (November15).

Taking the two-hour trip to San Diego, the No. 8 Seed Vikings faced a top tier team in No. 1 Seed Cathedral Catholic. Downey lost, 18-8, to end its season.