Warren tops rival Downey in QB showdown
Warren High School quarterback Nico Iamaleava scrambles as he’s chased by Downey’s Anthony Gurrola. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
DOWNEY – It was a game that was in the waiting for almost a year.
Simply, Downey vs. Warren.
The best kept secret outside of the City of Downey should go down as one of the top rivals in all of California high school football. Period.
Over 9,000 fans probably had this game circled on their calendars, and that included Downey senior quarterback Aidan Chiles.
Chiles, who transferred into Downey and is headed to Oregon State next season, missed the game last year due to an injury, said in the preseason that he was waiting for week eight.
The result didn’t end up like he wanted, but Chiles and University of Tennessee commit, Nico Iamaleava, didn’t disappoint the throngs of fans at Warren Friday night (October 14).
A highlight 78-yard touchdown run by Chiles and four TD passes by Iamaleava had both sides of the field jumping.
Warren is in line for the first-ever Gateway title, which is part of the Suburban Valley Conference.
“Our kids played hard and I know Downey played hard,” Warren fourth-year coach Kevin Pearson said. “It was a good match-up on paper, but the kids did good.
Iamaleava went down just before half with a cramp and was limping noticeably going into halftime but came back out after the intermission and continued to play.
“Nico is one of the toughest kids,” Pearson said. “I’ve had linebackers and great linemen and he is one of the toughest kids I’ve ever had. I thought he’d come back, somehow, someway. Our training staff did a great job working on it at halftime.
“He wanted to tough it out. As he was playing on it, it kind of loosened up.”
The competitor in Iamaleava came out in the second half and he picked up right where he left off before he went down before half.
He threw for two short touchdown passes of 8 and 12 yards.
“When I went down, I was fine and I went in the locker room and my trainer took care of it and I felt good after that,” Iamaleava said.
Perhaps, Warren Athletic Director Samantha Miyahara said it best about the rivalry.
The crowd size was upwards of 9,000 fans in attendance,” Miyahara said.
“The atmosphere was electric. The environment created by the ASB, band & color guard, cheer, and dance was nothing short of spectacular. It is remarkable to know that our student-athletes have the opportunity to compete in front of a crowd like that. This is an experience that very few high school student-athletes are afforded, and this is yet another example of what makes Downey Unified School District so special.
The marquee match-up brought praise from Miyahara.
“The match-up of the two Division I quarterbacks was thrilling,” added Miyahara. “Aidan Chiles is very talented, and I look forward to watching him continue to flourish at Oregon State.
“I cannot say enough about our quarterback, Nico Iamaleava,” Miyahara said. “He obviously had a tremendous game. I would contend that he is the most gifted quarterback in the nation, and he proved that again on Friday night. Although his talent is undeniable, what I found to be truly inspiring was his mental and physical toughness. His insatiable desire to win and his unflinching doggedness make him one of the most fierce competitors on every field.
Props were handed out to the team from Miyahara.
“I was incredibly proud of the way our team played,” Miyahara said. “They maintained their composure and poise. They played with a lot of determination and tenacity. They also played with incredible maturity and integrity.”
I spoke with the team this afternoon, and I conveyed the message that I was proud of them for the win, but more importantly, I was proud of them for the way they won.”
Iamaleava led with four touchdowns, passing for 260 yards (8 for 16), with one interception. He also ran for 63 yards on eight carries and totaled 323 yards of total offense.
Senior running back Marcus Higgs (8 carries, 27 yards) ran for touchdowns of 2 and 8 yards, while senior Romeo Clark (8 carries, 57 yards) ran for one TD.
Iamaleava spread out the passes to five players, with junior Jordan Ross (3 catches, 140 Yards) scored two touchdowns and senior receiver Jeremiah Ingram caught two passes for 84 yards and a touchdown.
“I thought we did good preparing for the game and it was Ross’ first game back,” Iamaleava said. “We already had a connections before he got hurt and it felt good to have him back out there. He opens the offense up”
Downey was led by Chiles with 195 yards passing (18 for 29) and two touchdowns and an interception. Chiles also ran for a touchdown. He carried the ball eight times for a game-high 131 yards. Marco Navarrete ran for 22 yards on seven carries, while Jaylen Crutchfield carried the ball five times for 18 yards.
“They outplayed us, pretty simple as that,” Chiles said. “They just outplayed us in that (first) half. We just didn’t come back with anything, and we didn’t capitalize on what we had and made some mental mistakes.
On Chiles’ 78-yard dash down the sidelines, he said it was one play they had been practicing all week. “We practiced it all week and we prepared for it in the game and it worked.”
Chiles missed last years’ big game as he was out with an injury, but he said, “It was great, it was great,” said Chiles of his chance to play in the game. “It was a great feeling to be here in general, with all of the fans and everything. I loved it and it didn’t come out with the outcome we wanted. This was the biggest stage I’ve played on ever.”
Downey senior wide receiver Bryant Carey caught a touchdown and had seven receptions for 88 yards, while senior Ian Hernandez ran four times for 42 yards. Freshman Oscar Aguilar had a touchdown and 14 yards on three carries.
“If you look on paper, statically we played bad in the first half and it’s hard to play catch up against (Warren) and they got all of the momentum,” Downey football coach Jack Williams said.
Other than Chiles big 78-yard touchdown run, he only had seven other carries.
“I think Aidan takes it away from himself sometimes. He’s worried too much about things going on around him. He still had a good game.”
After Downey took the opening drive down the field and missed a 40-yard field goal attempt, Warren drove the ball 80 yards on only three plays, highlighted by a 74-yard TD pass from Iamaleava to Ross for the 8-0 lead. A penalty on the extra point attempt allowed the Bears to go for a 2-point conversion which Higgs ran successfully.
On the second play by Downey after the ensuing kickoff, Chiles blew by everybody for his 78-yard score. The extra point was blocked, as Downey trailed, 8-6.
Warren answered again on the third play from scrimmage with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Iamaleava to Ingram for the 15-6 lead.
Warren scored twice more, late in the first and in the second quarter on an 8-yard run by Higgs and a 57-yard touchdown reception by Ross for the 28-6 lead.
With 5:02 left in the half, Downey scored its second touchdown on a 28-yard pass from Chiles to Carey, to trail, 28-14. Carey was open right at the goal line and easily scored.
With three minutes gone in the third quarter, the Bears extended the lead to 35-14, on an 8-yard TD run by Higgs, his second of the game.
The Bears scored two more times in the third quarter on a 12-yard pass from Iamaleava to Higgs and a 41-yard run by Clark to open up their lead for the 49-14 score.
Downey added a late score in the fourth quarter on a 23-yard touchdown reception from Chiles to freshman Oscar Aguilar.
Game Notes
In the rivalry, both schools protect their mascot symbols – The Bear for Warren and the Bell for Downey. Many alumni attended the game and three former football players shared crazy stories about attempting to steal the prizes, but the Bear and the bell remain intact.
Also, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Warren team saluted and honored fallen player Jaylon Connish, who died in a car accident earlier this year.
Quotes
Marcus Higgs, Warren senior wide receiver: “I’ve never lost to Downey in my three years. The big lead was super fun to have. It’s like a monkey off of our back, because they were talking crap all week.
“All we have to do is make no mistakes and stick together and we can win.”
Jordan Ross, Warren junior wide receiver: “Nico knows where to put the ball so the DBs can’t get it. It’s a great connection. I just built that relationship with him. I’ve only been here a year and I live to beat Downey. I love all the hype and everything about Warren. To me it feels great.”
Daniel Cassidy, Warren senior safety: “Downey is a tough team, and they are good and we played them hard. But being able to come out in my senior year and beat Downey was great at home. It was something special.
My job at the Wednesday night rally was to get the crowd hyped about the game.”
Nic Iamaleava, assistant coach (Nico’s father): “Nico is a tough kid. He loves to compete and just loves to win.
“It was a big stage for both teams and both quarterbacks. I don’t think there’s going to be a bigger one than this, even going into the playoffs. This atmosphere is crazy. You can’t script this. It’s bigger than Bosco-Mater Dei.
