Every year since 1958, all of Downey Unified School District has come together for the annual hometown rivalry football game. In recent years, the popularity of this event has significantly increased. Although there is no documentation of exactly when the Downey vs. Warren football games gained such popularity, we can look at some history and facts to put together a basic idea. Downey High School was founded on August 16, 1901, as Los Nietos Valley Union High School, the eleventh high school in the Los Angeles County School System, but the first classes did not take place until construction of the first buildings began in 1903. The high school was then renamed Downey Union High School in 1919, as it combined high school and junior high school students. Some time in the early 1950s, Downey High School converted to just teaching high school students, as the four junior high schools, south, north, east, and west (now Griffiths, Doty, Sussman, and Stauffer) opened. In 1956, Earl Warren High School was established, marking the beginning of what would become one of the most well-known and anticipated rivalries in the county.
In 1958, the two high schools played each other for the very first time, and though there is no record of who won, we know the earliest recorded victory was in 1968, when Warren beat Downey High School with a score of 47-0. The overall record of who has won the games since 1958 puts Warren in the lead, with 37 wins, and Downey High School with 29. However, over the last twenty years or so, there has been more documentation of the events that take place during this spirit-filled week. Despite Warren having more overall wins than us, our school is ranked higher because our football team is in Division 2, while Warren is only in Division 7. 2010 marked the beginning of Downey high school’s five year and longest winning streak, with one of our most notable victories in 2013 where the Downey Vikings defeated the Warren Bears with a crushing score of 60-0, and a game attracting over 8,500 people. The sheer number of people in this crowd proves that, even if there is little recorded evidence of the magnitude of these games, they have been a staple of the city’s pride and spirit for decades.
One way everyone from both schools show their school pride are the themed spirit weeks that take place the week of the game every year, with the Warren Wimp/Downey Dork day every Thursday before the big game as a way to show some light hearted rivalry, and when both school’s ASB, marching band, color guard, and cheer team walk over to the district building as a city tradition on the day of the game itself. A significant turning point in recent years was 2023’s game that took place at Sofi Stadium attracted more than 8000 audience members, and even though Warren won that game, we made our comeback the year after in 2024 by putting an end to their 6 year winning streak when we beat them on their own campus, and again this year when we made another historical win at Dignity Health Sports Park, or LA Galaxy stadium when we beat the other school with a final score of 40-0.
The Viking football team has been preparing for this game since the summer, going to morning practices at six in the morning and staying late after school for even more practice. Understanding the significance of the Downey vs Warren games, especially this year, since it took place at a major stadium, the football team has come together to ensure they demonstrate peak physical and mental performance, especially since college scouts attend these games looking for talent. “This year is different for us as a team because our brotherhood and our bond are much stronger. The location of this game also makes it a pretty big deal for not just those competing but the whole city of Downey,” Eliyah Garcia, Sophomore on the varsity football team, stated. Although this is the most anticipated game of the entire school year, the football team also understands that in order for them to give their best performance, they must also continue to show sportsmanship and remain collected in order to achieve the results they want, which is ultimately the product of all their practice. “I feel pretty good about it. It’s gonna be a great atmosphere, but I’m still gonna treat it like every other game,” replied Jordan Robinson, Sophomore, when asked about his feelings for the game.
This year was a major success for Downey High School, as we won for the second year in a row, possibly the start of another winning streak. Although the game started slowly in the first quarter, with neither team scoring, the Vikings scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion in the second quarter. Our dance team, cheer team, and marching band put on an entertaining, well-executed halftime show, creating a lively atmosphere for the second half of the game. In the third quarter, we scored another touchdown before our four-star quarterback, Oscar Rios, injured his right leg. Fortunately, he was able to get up. We then scored again, this time by player #6, with 1:50 left in the quarter, leaving the score at 20-0 by the start of the fourth quarter. In the first ten seconds of the fourth quarter, Downey High School made another touchdown, followed by an interception at 11:02 in the fourth down. At 10:44, another touchdown was made, followed by another interception, touchdown, and one-point conversion. With 4 minutes and 57 seconds left in the game, player #2 made the final touchdown of the game, putting the final score at 40-0 with the second Viking win against Warren High School in a row.
