The Downey High School Vikings were able to make it close in the second half, but offensive blunders prevented them coming all the way back in a 23-13 nonleague loss to visiting Santa Fe Friday.

Down by only a touchdown with a little over two minutes left, Downey senior free safety Isaiah Medina picked off Chiefs’ quarterback Alex Flores in the end zone, giving the Vikings a final opportunity to drive down the field and tie the game.

The crowd exploded with a glimpse of hope that Downey’s offense would feed off the defensive momentum.

It was short-lived. On the ensuing play, Viking quarterback Dallas Lopez was intercepted by senior defensive back Chris Esparza at the 40-yard line to end Downey’s last chance.

“The offense was kind of sluggish today,” Downey coach, Will Capps said after the game. “We couldn’t get it moving. We had some injuries, some guys were out sick this week, but take nothing away from them though, they played a great football game.”

The Chiefs (4-1) came flying out of the gates by scoring on their opening possession, which was capped by a 30-yard touchdown run by Cameron Oliver.

Their offense was impressive with a mix of several eye-opening big-runs from Flores and some risky play calling by coach Jack Mahlstede. The Chief coach decided to go for it on fourth-and-10 in the first quarter and it paid off with a touchdown.

Later, in the fourth quarter, Mahlstede had his team go for it on fourth-and-13 and down by one score. This time Santa Fe was unable to convert the first down.

Following their first notable possession, Flores connected with Christian Mahlstede on a 27-yard pass. Senior running back Jack Martinez finished the 32-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run for a13-0 lead seven minutes into the game.

Downey responded with junior running back Kyle Lewis scoring from the one-yard line to cut the deficit 13-6.

The Chief’s defense held the Vikings running game to 238 yards and came up with big plays to stop any momentum they had going.

Late in the second quarter, Downey fumbled at its 25, allowing Santa Fe an opportunity to extend the lead.

Flores, who is averaging 7.4 yards per rush, unleashed his speed scrambling out of the pocket for 23 yards to the two. Two plays later, senior William Bomer ran it in from a yard out to stretch the lead to 20-6 before the half ended.

Save for a final field goal, the Viking defense stepped up in the second half and did not allow Santa Fe to cross the goal line.

“Our defense played outstanding,” Capps said. “In the second half, we made the right adjustments.”.

Capps also made offensive adjustments, in particular going with the wildcat formation numerous times. With sophomore wide receiver Jabari Ruffin taking snaps, the formation initially proved to be effective.

After the Vikings recovered a fumble, Ruffin led a 34-yard drive on the ground and ran the last 14 yards for their second touchdown.

However, with 5:54 left, after the fourth-down turnover by the Chiefs, Downey got one of their last two game-tying opportunities.

They missed the chance as Ruffin coughed the ball up on the ensuing play and the Chiefs recovered.

Ruffin rushed for 103 yards on 12 attempts.

“We had our moments and they had their moments,” Mahlstede said. “They did a really good job taking us out of our game in the second half.”

Downey, now 1-4, visits Gahr Friday in its San Gabriel Valley League opener.