Football Recap: Newbury Park Falls Short of Lincoln in the Playoffs

Panthers

Previous 5 Games

12/06/24 @ Lincoln	27-34
11/30/24 @ Murrieta Valley	31-28
11/22/24 vs Yorba Linda	20-14
11/15/24 @ San Clemente	24-13
11/08/24 vs San Jacinto	27-0

It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Newbury Park can now relate to. They took a 34-27 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Lincoln Hornets on Friday. The Panthers' loss signaled the end of their 14-game winning streak.

Newbury Park's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Shane Rosenthal, who picked up 153 receiving yards and one touchdown. That's the most receiving yards Rosenthal has posted since back in October. The team also got some help courtesy of Brady Smigiel, who threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns.

Even if they lost, Newbury Park's defensive line still kept up the pressure with six sacks. Leading the way was Balen Betancourt with two. He has been hot, having also posted seven or more total tackles the last seven times he's played. Carter Taylor was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 13 total tackles.

Akili Smith Jr. went supernova for Lincoln, throwing for 267 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 89 yards and one touchdown on only eight carries. Courtney Miller-Thompson also helped out with an impressive 85 receiving yards.

Having lost for the first time this season, Newbury Park fell to 14-1. As for Lincoln, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-2.

Newbury Park does not have any more games scheduled as of now. Lincoln has also already played their next contest, a 28-26 victory against Pittsburg on the 13th.