Football squads storm into quarterfinal round

Warriors play at Hueneme, while Oaks Christian travels to Harvard-Westlake



Now it gets good.

Real good.

There are several tasty matchups on tap for Friday night’s quarterfinal round of the high school football playoffs.

Of local interest, Camarillo travels to Moorpark in a top-billing battle of one-loss teams.

A pair of unbeaten juggernauts, Oaks Christian and Westlake, hit the road, while Newbury Park plays host to powerhouse St. Bonaventure.

Here’s a look at how things are shaping up for this weekend’s action on the gridiron:

Northern Division

Moorpark (10-1) rebounded well from its loss to Westlake in the teams’ regular-season finale.

In the first round of the Northern Division playoffs, the Musketeers held Canyon to 193 yards of total offense during a 30-0 win.

With Pacific View League champion Camarillo (10-1) coming to town, this week’s challenge will be much greater for the stout Moorpark defense.

Led by senior quarterback Jeff Mathews, the Scorpions have won 10 consecutive games, including a 35-7 first-round playoff win over Arroyo Grande.

Mathews has thrown for 2,725 yards and 32 TDs, both school records. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound signal-caller has tossed only six interceptions in 261 pass attempts.

Having been eliminated in playoff games at Moorpark in two of the past three seasons, Camarillo head coach Dennis Riedmiller knows his team can illafford to make mistakes against the well-coached Musketeers.

“They are one of the best teams in the county, and we’ll have our work cut out for us,” Riedmiller said. “But I guarantee you we’re looking forward to it.”

Containing Moorpark’s running game will be a top priority for the Camarillo defense.

Musketeer senior Austin Edmonson and junior Tyler Peterson are talented tailbacks who can slice and dice any defense with sweeping power runs or knee-buckling cutbacks.

Senior quarterback Brian Blechen is another threat on the ground with 6.9 yards per carry.

Riedmiller said Moorpark’s offensive line presents many challenges for the Scorpions’ defensive front.

“Once those big guys get going and get into a rhythm and Edmonson can get behind them and pick holes where he wants to run, they are devastating,” the coach said. “It becomes very tough to stop them.”

Camarillo’s defense has played under the radar all season.

Senior defensive ends Nikolaus Boudro and Tre Boswell have been playmakers up front, Riedmiller said, adding that senior linebackers Kyle Macedo and Cole Bernard have continued to elevate their games as the year has progressed.

Look for junior strong safety Alek Reeves and junior cornerback Bobby Ferrer to play major roles in the Scorpions’ secondary during this matchup.

The winner plays either topseeded Valencia or Buena in the semifinals.

At Newbury Park, the Panthers (9-2) are preparing to welcome reigning Division III state champion St. Bonaventure (10-1) to the Conejo Valley.

Okay, perhaps “welcome” isn’t the best description.

St. Bonaventure, a two-time defending section champion, is the Northern Division team by which all others are measured.

The Seraphs travel well and are more than accustomed to marching out of opposing stadiums with resounding wins in tow.

Newbury Park senior outside linebacker Josh Sackheim said there’s no reason for his teammates to fear the St. Bonaventure mystique.

“When they walk out on the field they can be very intimidating, but we have to come back and like it, love it even,” Sackheim said. “I love the intimidation. I love the excitement. It’s fun. . . .

“But it won’t get into our heads. Intimidation cannot be a factor when the game starts.”

During last weekend’s thrilling 29-27 Newbury Park victory over Righetti, the Panthers let a 26-7 lead slip away before junior place kicker Kevin Kircher nailed a 43-yard field goal with less than a minute to play in the fourth quarter to allow NPHS to advance.

Panther senior center Tommy Diefenthaler wouldn’t mind another heart-stopping finish, as long as the result remains the same.

“We can play with anyone if we play our game,” Diefenthaler said. “I don’t feel like we’re intimidated or anything like that.

“We know they’re good, but we know we’re good, too. It’ll be a great game if we play our style of football.”

The St. Bonaventure-Newbury Park victor plays the winner of the Westlake at Hueneme contest.

Marmonte League champion Westlake (11-0) had little trouble getting past Ventura, 49-27, in the opening round, while Hueneme (8-3) opened eyes with its 23-15 upset of Hart.

The Warriors refuse to look past Hueneme, a team that went 0-10 a year ago.

“You can’t take anyone lightly,” said WHS senior left tackle Michael Lorenzo. “Looking at Hueneme on film, they have some real players. It’s not surprising that they’ve been winning football games.”

Westlake head coach Jim Benkert acknowledged that Hueneme is a program on a major upswing. He’ll have his players on full upset alert in hostile territory.

“They probably have surprised a lot of people this year,” Benkert said. “But looking at them, you can see that they are where they should be with some excellent athletes.

“They are a well-coached football team. It should be a hard-fought game.”

Kickoff time for each game is slated for 7 p.m.

Northwest Division

Oaks Christian (11-0), the seventh-ranked team in the state according to MaxPreps.com, travels to Harvard-Westlake (7-3) for a Northwest Division quarterfinal.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

The Lions hammered Santa Ynez, 70-14, in Round 1 as UCLAbound senior running back Malcolm Jones rushed for 280 yards and four TDs on nine carries.

Oaks Christian’s defense had 14 sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries in the blowout.

“It took the defense a series of plays to wake up,” OCHS head coach Bill Redell said. “But when they woke up, that was it for Santa Ynez.”

Although the Lions’ offense features a bevy of game-changing athletes, Redell said defense remains the team’s backbone.

“These defensive guys are big, they’re fast and they’re experienced,” the coach said.

The OCHS defensive line, in particular, has overmatched the opposition with brute strength and incredible size. Harvard-Westlake will have its hands full.


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