When Downey High needs to make a play, the book on them is they’ll go to the air. The spread, five-wide receiver offense has become a staple for the school on Coffee Road. So, then, why did their last pass attempt Friday night against Elk Grove catch everyone by surprise?
The set up made all the difference.
The Knights ran the same play out of the same formation multiple times throughout the game: A fake handoff to the running back with a reverse toss to a receiver running behind the line of scrimmage. Each time it went for positive yards.
So when they had the opportunity to chew some time off the clock with the ball on the 50 yard line late in a one score game, they went to that same formation. The defense, eager to make a play, sold out on the run.
That was all senior Carson Lamb needed.
On third down, the quarterback pulled out the double fake, keeping the ball and flinging it 30 yards in the air to a streaking Joseph Ramirez. Ramirez did the rest, making the uncontested catch, sprinting into the end zone. The crowd erupted as the Knights turned a 46-42 advantage into a 53-42 lead.