Coming off a bye week, Mira Costa will travel to Downey Friday for a 7 p.m. contest.
Coach Don Morrow’s Mustangs have had two weeks to re-group after a disappointing 42-6 loss to Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks in the season opener.
Ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Southeast Division, Downey dropped to 1-1 on the new season after a 66-28 road loss to Vista Murrieta, the Inland Division’s second ranked team.
The Vikings are a talented team with many top athletes returning and can put points on the board, shutting out Mayfair 38-0 in their season opener.
Downey returns six starters on offense and eight on defense from its 2012 squad that went 11-3 and won the San Gabriel Valley League before capturing the Southeast Division title.
The Mira Costa defense, led by defensive end Jahlani Tavai, lineman Joe Anderson and linebacker Brandon Mills, will try to slow down Downey quarterback Jorge Reyna (6-1, 190) who returns as the signal caller after passing for 1,567 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions last season. The junior also rushed for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 7.72 yards per carry.
Reyna completed only six of 18 passes against Vista Murrieta but ran for 115 yards on nine carries.
Reyna has three experienced receivers to choose from led by Tristan Esparza (5-11, 175) who averaged 18.6 yards per catch in 2012. Joining the aerial assault will be Jacob Cook (6-0, 175; 159 yds./catch) and running back Justin Huff (5-11, 200; 15.8 yds./catch).
Huff is a dual threat who rushed for 2,364 yards and 24 touchdowns last season while averaging 181 yards per game. He ran for 103 yards on 13 carries against Vista Murrieta
Downey’s defense is led by Esparza who averaged 9.4 tackles per game and intercepted four passes last year. The senior recorded 10 tackles against Vista Murrieta.
