Downey has gone 4-0 against La Mirada recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. After each having a week off, the two teams will shake off the cobwebs and challenge one another at 7:00 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Downey will head into Friday's match out to bounce back: they came back down to earth last Friday after soaring to a 21-point contest in their last game. They fell just short of Red Mountain by a score of 35-32. Despite 176 more yards than the Mountain Lions, the Vikings couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Despite the defeat, Downey got top-tier performance from Oscar Rios, who rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 384 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 10.7 yards per attempt. With that strong performance, Rios is now averaging an impressive 308.6 passing yards per game. 143 of those passing yards were hauled in by Caleb Juregui, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Downey wouldn't let Red Mountain keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Downey can thank Oscar Aguilar and Desmin Joshway-Fairley for forcing both of them. Aguilar is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last 12 games he's played dating back to last season. Another thorn in Red Mountain's side was Aidan Gomez, who made 11 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, La Mirada had to suffer through a 48-21 loss at the hands of La Habra. While losing is never fun, the Matadores can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 340th, while the Highlanders are ranked 85th).
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Jordan Lauago, who rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown on only six carries, and also picked up 47 receiving yards. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, forcing a fumble and making eight total tackles. Santino Garcia was another key passer, throwing for 217 yards and a touchdown.
The loss snapped Downey's winning streak at four games and leaves them with a 4-1 record. As for La Mirada, their record is now 1-4.
Downey strolled past La Mirada in their previous meeting back in October of 2023 by a score of 51-34. The rematch might be a little tougher for Downey since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
