The Westlake Warriors will square off against the Newbury Park Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Westlake, yet to win a game, are hoping to taste some of the success that has characterized Newbury Park's (thus far) undefeated season.
Westlake and Thousand Oaks met for a duel on Thursday where Westlake had to take the L. Westlake took a blow against Thousand Oaks, falling 41-14. While losing is never fun, the Warriors can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 331st, while the Lancers are ranked 85th).
Despite the loss, Westlake got top-tier performance from Demanie Bell, who rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries. Bell's longest rush was for an impressive 60 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Newbury Park over Calabasas in every quarter on their way to victory on Thursday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Newbury Park blew Calabasas out of the water with a 48-20 final score. Fans of the Panthers have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Brady Smigiel was his usual excellent self, throwing for 263 yards and four touchdowns on only 19 passes, while also punching in a touchdown on the ground. He is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last five games he's played dating back to last season. Shane Rosenthal was Smigiel's top target, picking up 167 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Another reason for the win was Newbury Park's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. Carter Taylor was especially locked on to Calabasas' QB and sacked him twice.
Westlake's defeat dropped their record down to 0-7. As for Newbury Park, their victory was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-0.
Everything came up roses for Westlake against Newbury Park when the teams last played back in October of 2019, as the squad secured a 63-28 win. In that match, Westlake amassed a halftime lead of 56-21, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
