The Capistrano Valley Cougars had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 37-34 victory over Downey on Friday. The victory was some much needed relief for Capistrano Valley as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Tommy Acosta was on fire: he rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 183 yards and three touchdowns.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Capistrano Valley's defensive line and their five sacks. Leading the way was Jackson Sievers and his two sacks.
Despite the defeat, Downey saw an underclassman step up: Oscar Rios threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns while completing 78.3% of his passes, and also rushed for 106 yards on only nine carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Damani Porras, who picked up 109 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Capistrano Valley's win bumped their record up to 8-3. As for Downey, their defeat ended a eight-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 8-3.
Capistrano Valley will head out on the road to face off against Culver City at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in California (Culver City is ranked 85th, while Capistrano Valley is ranked 75th). Downey does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
