The Acorn’s High School Football Game of the Week

Newbury Park Panthers (1-1) at Oak Park Eagles (2-0) Friday, 7:30 p.m.


ROOM TO RUN—Oak  Park  running  back  Matt  Alexander rushed for 79 yards on nine carries and had three touchdowns during the Eagles’ 42-14 victory over Calabasas in Week Two. If Oak Park hopes to pull off an upset over Newbury Park Friday night, Alexander will have to have a big-time effort. JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers

ROOM TO RUN—Oak Park running back Matt Alexander rushed for 79 yards on nine carries and had three touchdowns during the Eagles’ 42-14 victory over Calabasas in Week Two. If Oak Park hopes to pull off an upset over Newbury Park Friday night, Alexander will have to have a big-time effort. JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers


Following a 393-yard sixtouchdown performance against Rio Mesa last week in which he completed 92 percent of his passes (23-of-25), Newbury Park quarterback Jordan LaSecla may have very well surpassed Peyton Manning as the most sought after fantasy football quarterback on the market.

But all kidding aside, LaSecla’s effort during Newbury Park’s 54-13 shellacking of Rio Mesa was off the charts. And even by his own head coach’s admission, it’s unlikely to occur again this season.

At least that’s what the Oak Park Eagles hope as they prepare to host the Panthers Friday night in the first-ever matchup between the two schools on the gridiron.

“We’re going to have to control the time of possession,” Oak Park co-head coach Dick Billingsley said. “Anytime you face a real good football team, the way to stop them from scoring is to hold onto the ball yourself.

“You’ve got to have possession, take the time off the clock and be able to score. And if we can do that, we feel it’s going to be a pretty good football game,” the coach said.

Billingsley said putting constant pressure on LaSecla is the best way to take Newbury Park out of the things they like to do on offense, like spread the field and throw the ball to their two best playmakers—wide receivers Jordan Cameron and Josh Baker.

“You’ve got to pressure the quarterback, number one,” Billingsley said. “And you’ve got to put a guy in his face, number two. If (we) do those things and break up their timing, then (we’re) going to be successful.”

Like the Panthers, Oak Park is coming off a very impressive victory in Week Two, having defeated Calabasas, 42-14, on the road.

The Eagles were led by running back Matt Alexander, who posted 79 yards rushing, 64 receiving yards and three touchdowns, including an 88-yard kickoff return for a score early in the first quarter.

“It’s going to be a strong, physical game,” Newbury Park head coach George Hurley said. “That’s one of the reasons we are playing these quality teams. We’re playing the best schools we can find because we’re a finesse team that needs to play against physical teams before we get into league.

“Oak Park is as good of a team as you’re going to find around here who’ll rock and sock you and knock you down,” Hurley said.

Like so many football games, this contest could be decided in the trenches.

Newbury Park’s offensive line, featuring tackles Mike Williams and Tim Ketaily, guards Robby Harris and Matt Reistcter and center Luis Soria, will have its hands full containing an Oak Park defense that’s forced eight turnovers in two games.

And although his squad was scorched for 30 points and 481 yards in a season-opening loss to Div. XI Verbum Dei, Hurley said the Panther defense is coming along and has improved its play dramatically over the last two weeks.

Newbury Park is going to need to play stout defense in this matchup, as Oak Park will continue to pound them with quarterback Doug Deakin running the Eagles’ option attack.

“Stopping the option is a matter of athletic ability and being able to pay attention and follow some rules to be able to get things done,” Hurley said.

Players to Watch

Oak Park Newbury Park

QB Doug Deakin RB Matt Alexander

QB Jordan LaSecla

WR Jordan Cameron

LB Alex Chang WR Josh Baker

DL/OL Will Clasby DL/OL Mike Williams

Outlook This is truly a matchup of conflicting styles between the air-it-out Newbury Park offense and the grind-it-out Oak

Park option attack. As is often the case when a small

school takes on a larger program, depth has to be a concern for the Eagles. So too is Panther wideout Jordan

Cameron, a 6-foot-5 pass-catcher whose size creates

major matchup problems for opposing defenses.

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