The Newbury Park Panthers will face off against the Ventura Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Newbury Park will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each contest than the last.
Newbury Park is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took a 46-41 hit to the loss column at the hands of St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy two weeks ago. The Panthers were up 28-12 in the second quarter but couldn't hold on to the lead.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Brady Smigiel, who threw for 293 yards and three touchdowns, and also punched in one score on the ground. Matthew Curry was Smigiel's top target, picking up 128 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.
Meanwhile, Ventura waltzed into their matchup on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They claimed a resounding 49-7 win over the Chargers. The game marked the Cougars' most dominant victory of the season so far.
Ventura's win came from a few key players Newbury Park will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Derek Garcia, who threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns while completing 73.3% of his passes, and also punched in one score on the ground. That's the most passing touchdowns he has posted since back in October of 2024. Jack Cunningham was another key pass catcher, picking up 174 receiving yards and three TDs.
Ventura's run defense was locked in: Dos Pueblos could only muster 1.3 yards per carry. While three picked up at least three total tackles, Nathan Radwich stood above the rest. He picked up a sack and made three total tackles (2.0 for loss). Ventura didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 6.3.
Newbury Park's loss was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-3. Those road defeats can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 30.8 points this season. As for Ventura, their win bumped their record up to 3-1.
Everything came up roses for Newbury Park against Ventura when the teams last played back in September of 2024, as the team secured a 43-14 victory. In that contest, the Panthers amassed a halftime lead of 36-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
