It is that time of year again—the Downey Vikings and Warren Bears face off to see who will reign over the city of Downey. This familiar hometown rivalry traces back to 1958, just after Warren High School was established in 1955. Meanwhile, Downey High was established in 1901, originally titled Los Nietos Valley High School. The 68th annual football game will take place at the Dignity Health Sports Park. As the anticipated rivalry game hangs over the heads of the students of the city of Downey, Downey High School embraces its school pride through a well-enjoyed spirit week, and the students definitely get creative.
The first day of spirit week consisted of pajamas and slippers, in which the students of Downey High rolled out of bed to embrace a day where they “Don’t Sleep On Downey.” The second day of rivalry spirit week was “Pirates vs. Princesses”, where the Warren Bears were bound to “walk the plank.” Anahi Jimenez (10), who dressed as a princess, gave her thoughts on the rivalry spirit week and the upcoming Downey v. Warren events. Jimenez’s favorite spirit day was “Don’t Sleep on Downey” or pajama day. She is most looking forward to the widely-loved “Warren Wimp Day.” Though she will not be attending the rivalry game, Jimenez has been enjoying the spirit days. “My favorite part of rivalry week was seeing all of the creative outfits people came up with,” Jimenez stated. “But if I could change one of the spirit days, I would change ‘Catch Us if You Can’ to a ‘Dress Up as Your Type’ spirit day.” Furthermore, the third day of spirit week was “Catch Us If You Can” camo day. The Downey High School students dressed in their best outfits that involved camouflage print. The fourth day was the famous “Warren Wimp Day,” where students dressed in Warren school gear, painted their faces, wore “nerd” glasses, and much more. This year’s Warren Wimp Day definitely did not disappoint. Alizabella Torres
(11) gave her opinions on the spirit week and shared about her Warren Wimp outfit. Torres, who is looking forward to attending the rivalry game, shared that her favorite spirit day was “Pirates vs. Princesses.” Her outfit inspiration for Warren Wimp Day was drawn from outfits from previous years. “I feel like the spirit days are a little bit repetitive,” Torres said. “…but they are still really enjoyable—like the first day—pajama day, was very fun.”
Lastly, on the day of the rivalry game, students participated in a “Viking Spirit Day” where the students came to school dressed in red, sports gear, or Downey Viking gear. To add, the ASB students arrived at school early in the morning and put in their best efforts to adorn the school with posters that reflected Viking pride. Evan Perez (10) shared his thoughts on spirit week. Although Perez will not be attending the Downey v. Warren game, he still had a pleasant time throughout the rivalry spirit week. “I looked forward to ‘Catch Us If You Can’ and ‘Don’t Sleep On Downey,’” Perez stated. “…but my favorite spirit day was ‘Don’t Sleep On Downey.’”
The Downey v. Warren rivalry spirit week is a time in which the students come together and share one thing in common: Viking spirit. From pajamas to camouflage to navy blue and red, Downey High School created an environment where the students share memories and get creative with unique spirit day outfits. Downey v. Warren is what makes the city of Downey one of a kind.
