Downey vs Warren, the football game of the year, is hitting the shores of Downey this Friday, October 25th, 2024. The big question on the mind of the Downey Vikings, can we win? I mean, we’ve lost the last couple of games, so let’s take a look.

Our first stop involves looking at the history of these games. Information gathered from the high school sports site MaxPreps, from 2023 to 2004, 20 rivalry games have been played. In those 20 games, Downey High School has won 11 of them, losing 9. Warren was victorious in only 9 of the rivalry games, losing 11. This gives Downey a win rate of 55%  and Warren a win rate of 45%. 

However, recently Downey has been on a losing streak. Previously, Downey has had a major streak of victory starting in 2010 and ending in 2014 of a 5-win streak. This includes the 2013 game where Downey beat Warren 60 to 0. After 2014, things went downhill after a short comeback. 2015 was a loss, with 2016 and 2017 being victories for the Vikings. 2018 was the start of a flood of defeat. After 2018, Downey has not won one of the rivalry games in the 6 years that have passed. That 6 losing streak that still hasn’t ended, and Downey wants to break that streak. In 2023, Downey had a 73% win rate of football varsity games played, but lost to Warren High. In all games from 2018 and above, only one season had less than a 50% win rate for Downey, but Downey still lost all those Downey v. Warren games.  But as they say, the past doesn’t define the present, so let’s look at today.

 As of the 2024-2025 season, Warren High School stands with 58 Varsity Football players and a team of 14 staff members. The Bears have also lost two star players, Jace Brown and Madden Iamaleava, who played a role in defeating Downey at Sofi Stadium to UCLA’s football program. Also, in the late 2023-2024 school year, Warren’s head coach resigned from his position after leading the team to new heights with new CIF titles, victory in the first high school football game at Sofi, and more.

Now it’s time for rankings. The Warren Bears are ranked 235th in the state of California, 110th in the CIF Southern Section Rankings, and 109th in the Los Angeles Metro rankings. In the Gateway League, consisting of teams from the LA area referred to as the Gateway Cities, the Bears are in 3rd place. 

In contrast, Downey High School has assembled a team of 66 players along with 10 staff members this varsity year. This includes star player Oscar Rios who has helped the Vikings pursue a path to victory, and received his own article in the LA Times. 

Time for the rankings. The Downey Vikings are ranked 34th in the State of California, 24th in the CIF Southern Section Rankings, and 24th in the Los Angeles Metro Area. In the Gateway League, consisting of teams from the LA area referred to as the Gateway Cities, Downey is in 1st place. From this data, a sweep of Warren should be easy, but let’s not get cocky.

This season the Warren Bears have won only 2 of 8 games they have played this season. On the other hand, Downey has won 7 of 8 games played. 

Now, it’s time to answer the question posed at the start. Can Downey High School take home the crown? Let’s visit writer Christopher’s opinion. 

Taking a look at the data above, I believe Downey High School has a chance to win this rivalry game against Warren this year. The Downey High football team has great players and has continued to win games against other high schools. Warren High has won only 2 games this season out of 8 games. Do we have a chance? We might see Downey High take home the win. Downey has been ranked fairly high and while this is promising, anything can happen on the day of the rivalry game. As a senior, we have been waiting in anticipation of whether Downey High will win since freshman; firsthand, we have seen the students display their school spirit and enthusiasm for the game. This builds up the expectation although we are anxiously waiting to see if Downey High wins this game. All we know is that both schools, Downey and Warren have a great football team and the possibility remains open. 

Now for my, Allen’s, personal opinion. Looking at the facts, I think that Downey has a good chance of winning this year’s rivalry game. Downey has performed much better this season than “the other school”, beating teams that Warren has failed to defeat. On the plus side, Downey ranks much higher than Warren does in multiple rankings. I still hold doubts. In my 4 years at Downey High School,  I have not seen our school win a rivalry game once. Every year, hype is built around the game that eventually ends in disappointment in a loss.  This creates a feeling of hope every year, but fear of loss. This year, I feel the same, but with a bit of change. I think I have a good chance of seeing Downey win their first rivalry game in 6 years. This year’s data points to this potential reality, and I think I will see it happen. So, yes, I think the Downey Vikings will defeat Warren High School in their own stadium.

But, we can only wait and see.