This Week in Football

Acorn Sports Writer
Newbury Park (2-2, 1-0)
at Agoura (2-2, 0-1)

7 p.m. Friday

With last week’s disappointing loss to Royal, the Chargers are in a must win situation. Another loss to a playoff contender will just about finish any hope of post-season play for Agoura.

In typical Panther fashion, coach George Hurley has his team on track to challenge for the Marmonte League Championship and another berth in theplayoffs. In recent years the Newbury Park offense has started slow and then improved each week. This year is no exception.

Sophomore quarterback Ryan Lombardo is coming on strong and senior running back Marcus Crawford, who struggled for yardage early in this campaign, gained 100 yards and ran for two touchdowns last week against Moorpark. Agoura counters with a defense that has been vulnerable all year. Against two Marmonte quality offenses, the Chargers were blitzed for 41 points in each contest. Agoura’s high-powered offense will put some points on the board against a solid Newbury Park defense, but it will not be enough to win this game.

Nordhoff (3-1)

at Oak Park (3-1)

7:30 p.m. Friday

Nordhoff almost pulled off the biggest upset of the 1999 season before losing to powerhouse St. Bonaventure in the closing seconds of the Division XI Championship game.

Coach Russell Farrar has another strong team this year and his Rangers seem to be on course to repeat as the Frontier League Champions. While Nordhoff is hitting full stride, the Oak Park offense seems to be unraveling.

The Eagle defense appears to be in mid-season form, but the offense is lost somewhere between hell week and the first scrimmage. Great offense requires good rhythm and timing. So far this season, with three different quarterbacks and four different offensive units in four weeks, the offense is off key and singing the blues.

Will coach Dick Billingsley, in his first week back on the sideline following a four-game suspension, be able to synchronize the orchestra?

Calabasas (2-2)

at El Camino(1-3)

7 p.m. Friday

El Camino, with no returning starters from 1999, is a very young football team dominated by juniors. They’ve been on a roller coaster ride this year, getting blown away one week and playing solid the next. Last week El Camino won its first game, an 18-14 come from behind victory over Van Nuys. The Conquistadors battled Division III Chaminade three weeks ago and dropped a close 22-14 contest.

Calabasas Coach Larry Edwards must have said something good at halftime of the Oak Park game because this Coyote bunch has played great defense ever since. Calabasas went nine consecutive quarters without allowing a single point until Channel Islands scored two meaningless fourth quarter touchdowns last week.

This game should be a close, low scoring affair.

Thousand Oaks (0-4, 0-1)

at Moorpark (1-3, 0-1)

7 p.m. Friday

It’s quite simple, really. Thousand Oaks must win this game, or else.

The debacle against powerful Westlake last week was a major set- back for a Lancer team that had played three solid weeks of football against some of the best teams in Southern California. If Thousand Oaks wins this game they will right their ship and get back on course for a strong finish. If they lose, the Lancer season will unravel. Thousand Oaks figures not be denied.

Westlake(3-1, 1-0)

at Simi Valley (0-4, 0-0)

7 p.m. Friday

The best team in Division IV meets the weakest team in Division IV.

All AP math students please report to the Westlake sideline prior to the start of the game. And oh, please bring your calculators. The scoring for Westlake figures to add up quickly.