If Rio Mesa wanted to avenge their loss from the last time they played Newbury Park, they should've done a better job of containing Darrien Johnson. The Panthers blew past the Spartans 49-7 on Friday for which the team can thank Johnson, who rushed for 111 yards and four touchdowns on only ten carries, and also threw for 136 yards and one TD while completing 76.9% of his passes. His longest rush was for an impressive 52 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.
One reason for the win was Newbury Park's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Balen Betancourt, Carter Taylor, and Blake Gibson, who each picked up one sack apiece. Newbury Park got some further help from Betancourt: he picked up a sack, made eight total tackles (2.0 for loss), and defended one pass.
The win got Newbury Park back to even at 5-5. As for Rio Mesa, their loss was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-9.
Newbury Park has already played their next contest, a 17-14 defeat against Loyola on the 7th. Rio Mesa does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
