El Toro Puts Some Distance Between No. 1 and No. 10 Downey

If El Toro High School’s 35-6 victory over Downey Thursday night proved anything, and really there wasn’t much we didn’t already know about the Chargers, it’s that there is a big gap between No. 1 and No. 10.

El Toro, top-ranked in Orange County and the Southern Section Division II, stopped Downey, 10th-ranked in Division II, at every turn.

The Vikings’ only points came on a fluke 85-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. It was the first points El Toro had allowed this season.

The Chargers’ defense allowed Downey 66 yards rushing and 126 passing. Take away the touchdown and the Vikings’ output was just 107 yards.

Using option pitches and dive plays up the middle, Downey had run past Damien, 42-26, and Schurr, 26-21, coming into Thursday’s game at Saddleback College.

“The first thing we had to do was stop their quarterback (sophomore Johnny Macon),” El Toro Coach Bob Johnson said. “We wanted to work from the outside in. We could give up on the dive and the inside stuff. That wasn’t going to hurt us.”

The Chargers (3-0) contained Macon, who ran for 16 yards and threw for 126.

“He’s really a handful,” Johnson said of Macon. “He’s really a poised kid. We put him under a lot of pressure, I’ll tell you that.”

Still, it was close at halftime. El Toro’s no-huddle offense crossed-up Downey’s defense sufficiently to take a 14-6 halftime lead.

With 9 minutes 34 seconds left in the half and the ball at his own 15-yard line, Macon dropped back to pass. His throw for Mike Rhee, who was running a fly pattern on the left sideline, was underthrown.

El Toro’s Jason Bailey tipped the ball at the Downey 43, but it flew over his head and into the waiting arms of Rhee, standing alone at the 45.

With no one in sight (Bailey had fallen to the turf), Rhee cruised into the end zone.

“We were in the ballgame (at halftime),” Downey Coach Phil Dunaway said. “We got a lucky tip on that touchdown. Our kid was in the right spot.”

Downey’s luck ran out shortly after the third quarter started.

Less than two minutes into the quarter, Rob Johnson, El Toro’s quarterback, hit Wade Jackson for a 43-yard touchdown pass.

Then, with 2:19 left in the third, Johnson threw to a wide-open Bret Sanders for an eight-yard score. Sanders added a three-yard run with 5:17 left in the game and the Chargers had their third consecutive easy victory.

Johnson was 21 for 31 for 296 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Jackson caught six passes for 128 yards.

Jason Rojas rushed for 80 yards in 12 carries and Sanders added 59 yards in 15 carries.