Downey - Warren Rivalry
by Lorine Parks
Electricity in the air; passion, tension, loyalty. Viking Nation! Bear Cave!
It must be Spirit Week in Downey, heading for the football rivalry match that somehow has made the City of Downey special. Even when great rivalries are named: Lakers - Celtics, USC- UCLA: the Downey - Warren game gives us a special touch of class. In other towns, rivalries may be bitter and hateful. Here they are no less deeply felt, but friendships extend between the two schools, and after the game, it’s all one big happy town again.
After the game – those words resonate for some of the speakers, who told us how twenty and thirty years later, they remember this night. For many it’s a moment of bittersweet nostalgia.
But as one of the staff pointed out, we are a united community. Case in point: the speaker was wearing a tee shirt printed in pink, as were many of the others, and high school seniors distributed pink plastic bracelets to all of us, printed, “United against Cancer . . One Community One Cause.”
There is something bigger than rivalry, and that is fighting cancer. It makes us One.
And then there was the year when instead of hurrying home after school on a Wednesday in November, students from Downey and Warren High gathered at Stay Gallery to cheer on their classmates participating in a pie eating contest. The contest was arranged by Warren’s Stay Connected club with hopes of raising $700 to donate to the needy families in Downey just in time for Thanksgiving. Stay Connected used Stay Gallery for hosting purposes, but to make things more interesting, they decided to rekindle the Downey-Warren rivalry by reaching out to a few organizations from each school. The tag teams that participated had to finish an entire pumpkin pie with their hands behind their backs.
Tom Houts, principal of Downey High, introduced a number of spirited speakers from both schools, who attested to the school pride which the game inspires. Officers of the Downey High Student Body Association, from President to Treasurer, came up to tell how much the game has enlivened the entire week. Each day is dedicated to some special activity to build up the suspense, including Backward Clothing Day and dressing as the theme of each day of the week, which commenced with “Tacky Tourist Day.”.
Roger Brossmer showed a school-made film called Hometown Rivalry. Catch the YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2s_-CYhzco. The logo at the beginning was a spliced face, one side Viking, one side a Bear. The art work was the result of a contest for the design. The film began with massed marching bands from both schools in school colors, and then showed clips from previous games.
A teacher from Warren amusingly recounted how, as a newcomer, she was told she couldn’t possibly have the school spirit or understand the rivalry the way someone did who had lived here all their life. “Well,” she said, “it only took me one afternoon to develop that same school pride.” “There are banners,” she said, “saying, ’Vikings own this town,’ and ‘Bears stay in your cave.’ And yes, she went on, “that cave is a great place. There we find unmatched enthusiasm and love for the team.”
Coaches from both schools were introduced, and they in turn asked the members of the varsity teams stand for our applause. In the spirit of good sportsmanship, the Warren Coach (Warren is the underdog) praised Downey, saying, “Last year we were fortunate to beat a very good Downey team. This year has been a humbling experience for our team so far. Downey is the best team in the San Gabriel League,” he went on, “and we take this game as a tremendous challenge.”
Warren is proud of their tradition: they never give up and they never give in. In the history of the rivalry, the score is practically even. Warren has won almost as many times as Downey. Ever since the day Warren High opened its doors in 1955, it has been the rival school of Downey High School.
All the adult survivors of this game and games like it, gave their advice. “I hope you have time to enjoy this game,” said Dr. John Garcia, in suit, but no tie at his open collar. “I had the good fortune to play in this game two years, the fall of 1983 and 84. I played against competitors I had played with, from DJAA and Little League to Downey Razorbacks. And I remember it all, to this day.”
“If this is your last year,” he said, “play with everything you’ve got. So that you know, when this is a bittersweet memory thirty years from now, that you know you left it all on the field. You gave it your all.”
“This is the one night in the fall when the community revolves around this game. We want to show our kids how we move forward with tradition. Time goes by so fast….”
The two competing coaches were asked to sign the day’s Library Book, which fittingly was The Odyssey, an epic story which goes back even further than the Downey-Warren rivalry.
Pep leaders introduced the senior cheer leaders from both school. But to everyone’s dismay, no cheers were led, although shiny pompoms were ready. You’d have to go to the game to see them. And the game is expected to be sold out. It usually is.