Finding madness, joy on gridiron





Eliav Appelbaum

Eliav Appelbaum

Welcome to the Twilight Zone . . . or as I like to call it, life on Earth.

Ten of 15 local high school football teams qualified for the CIF-Southern Section playoffs this year.

All four Camino League teams—champion Newbury Park, Royal, Thousand Oaks and Camarillo— earned invitations to the Northern Division dance.

Calabasas and Rio Mesa, a combined 1-19 last year, are in.

Oaks Christian and Moorpark, two of the area’s strongest programs, will be home this weekend guzzling cans of pork brains in milk gravy—not kosher, in case you were wondering—while watching reruns of the “The Eric Andre Show.”

Newbury Park won its first league title since 2007. Simi Valley won its first league title since 1985. Grace Brethren is 10-0 and one epic playoff run from winning a section title 10 years after its first CIF title. Marmonte League champion Westlake and 8-man football Hillcrest Christian also qualified for the postseason.

Simi Valley, Royal, Calabasas and Rio Mesa making the playoffs in the same season is crazier than walking a pet iguana, Iggy Pop, on a leash through Portland and asking Academy Award snub Steven Seagal, “Would you like sprinkles on your cronut?”

Viewpoint, 8-2 overall, is the biggest postseason omission. The Patriots were ranked in the Mid- Valley Division poll all season, but losses to Sierra Canyon and Brentwood doomed the private school from Calabasas. Oaks Christian, which finished 5-5, missed the playoffs for the first time in school history. The Lions looked flat all season.

Oak Park, which won 11 straight games in 2013, went 0-10 this fall and no one batted an eye. The glass slippers turned into armadillo heels for Agoura, last year’s Cinderella.

If this is what happens when competitive equity reigns, then count me in. It’s OK for big dogs to move up to bigger divisions and sputter while sparring with Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah on Monster Island.

Which reminds me, when is Rod Serling going to reveal the monsters are due on Thousand Oaks Boulevard?

This has been a memorable fall, with close games, blowouts, broken records, celebrations and everything else in between.

The fun starts all over again with playoffs. While you catch your breath, let’s honor the best players and moments of the regular season.

TEAM OF THE YEAR:

Simi Valley

The Pioneers captured the inaugural Canyon League title, their first league title since 1985. Simi Valley last made the playoffs in 1992. Newbury Park, which will contend for a Northern Division title, is runner-up here. I expect the Panthers to reach the section championship game against Lompoc. The Black Cat Attack could win it all—if everyone’s healthy.

GAMES OF THE YEAR:

Thousand Oaks 45,

Simi Valley 44 (OT);

Calabasas 38, Agoura 28

The Lancers held on to defeat Simi Valley, which started backup QB Tanner Darling, when a two-point conversion pass sailed long. Darling was unstoppable at times, marching the Pioneer offense up and down the field. This game showcased the best local players at their best. Calabasas defeated Agoura for the first time since 1998, a win that helped the Coyotes qualify for the playoffs for the first time this decade.

PLAY OF THE YEAR:

Scorpions’ Hail Mary

Camarillo wide receiver Frankie Tostado’s 48-yard touchdown reception in the end zone from QB Jake Constantine with time expiring gave the Scorpions a 34-28 win against Royal in the regular-season finale. If Tostado hadn’t come up with that miracle catch, Camarillo could have missed the playoffs.

CO-MVPs: Zach Okun of Newbury Park,

Davis Pinkston of Simi Valley

Okun, who serves more pancake blocks than a Ron Burgundy flapjack breakfast at the jazz flute club, is the heart and soul of the Camino League champion Panthers. This team takes on the personality of the right guard and defensive tackle bound for the University of Oregon. The Panthers are goofy off the field and nasty on the gridiron. Pinkston does everything for Simi Valley, leading the way at quarterback and strong safety. Opponents know Pinkston wants to run at QB, and they still can’t stop him.

ACORN ALL-STARS

Camino League

Bryce Arnold, LB, Camarillo

Jake Constantine, QB, Camarillo

Frankie Tostado, WR/CB, Camarillo

Darick Holmes Jr., WR/S, Newbury Park

Darnay Holmes, WR/CB, Newbury Park

Daniel Prieto, QB, Newbury Park

Alex Rivera, LG, Newbury Park

Chucky Smith, LB/WR, Newbury Park

Jesse Landman, LB, Royal

River Meza, RB, Royal

Max Gilliam, QB, Thousand Oaks

Kevin Howell, WR/CB, Thousand Oaks

Lukas Svitek, DE, Thousand Oaks

Canyon League

Matt Goldberg, WR/S, Agoura

Chris Brooks, RB, Calabasas

Emmanuel Osuchukwu, WR, Calabasas

Logan Alexander, WR, Simi Valley

Blake Kissane, CB/WR, Simi Valley

Robert Lister, CB, Simi Valley

Drew Moore, RB, Simi Valley

Marmonte League

Nick Rodriguez, WR/CB, Moorpark

Matt Corral, QB, Oaks Christian

Michael Pittman, WR/S, Oaks Christian

Theo Howard, WR, Westlake

Daniel Fox, CB, Westlake

Malik Henry, QB, Westlake

Chase Jasmin, RB, Westlake

Frontier League

Michael Herwig, LB/RB, Grace Brethren

Zikel Reddick, RB, Grace Brethren

Pacific View League

Michael Kytlica, RB, LB, Rio Mesa

Jacob Litten, DE, Rio Mesa

Cameron Wrout, QB, Rio Mesa

Gold Coast League

Chandler Gee, WR/RB/DB, Viewpoint

Jack Rhodes, OL/DL, Viewpoint

Adam Sesma, LB, Viewpoint

Special Teams All-Stars

Dalton Geringer, Newbury Park

Omar Cabanas, Royal

Steele Ledford, Thousand Oaks

Ryan Pemberton, Thousand Oaks

Seth Frank, Viewpoint

Kevin Robledo, Westlake

All-Interview Team

Zach Okun, RG/DT, Newbury Park (MVP)

Alex Rivera, LG, Newbury Park

Brenner Marsh, QB/S, Agoura

Chris Brooks, RB, Calabasas

Jake Constantine, QB, Camarillo

Manuel Gutierrez, RB, Moorpark

Tim Lins, head coach, Moorpark

All-Interview Team

Hall of Fame inductee

Bill Redell, head coach, Oaks Christian

FINAL THOUGHTS

Newbury Park and Grace Brethren reach section championship games, but only one school wins a section title.

Thousand Oaks surges into the Northern Division final four.

Westlake won’t make it beyond the Pac-5 Division second round; the Warriors will need to play their best game of the season just to squirm past Mater Dei.

Two final predictions . . . drum roll, please . . .

Calabasas will defeat Buena in the first Western Division playoff opener, and Moorpark will win a section championship by 2017 if (and it’s a big “if”) Ron Wilford returns to coach the defense.


GO FOR GOLDBERG—Agoura High’ s Matt Goldberg runs into the end zone against Calabasas on Oct. 24 while fans, including members of the 1984 AHS section championship football team, cheer.

GO FOR GOLDBERG—Agoura High’ s Matt Goldberg runs into the end zone against Calabasas on Oct. 24 while fans, including members of the 1984 AHS section championship football team, cheer.

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