Newbury Park football delivers complete game to top St. Joseph
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NEWBURY PARK — The Newbury Park football team faced its toughest test of the season Friday night – an undefeated opponent, an early deficit, and yes, a wet and slippery field.
The Panthers may not have aced the test, but they still passed, defeating St. Joseph 31-21 to move to 4-0 on the season.
“You don’t know how good you are until you play a great team and they’re a great team,” Newbury Park head coach Joe Smigiel said. “We stepped up to the challenge and we did it as a group, that’s the main thing.”
The offense, led by freshman quarterback Brady Smigiel and wide receivers Charlie Simmons and Shane Rosenthal, was potent and efficient.
The defense, led by a swarming pass rush, rattled St. Joseph quarterback Darian Mensah all game.
The linebackers kept Mensah in check whenever he decided to take off and the defensive backs gave the Knights’ receivers little room to operate.
“We’re finally getting the respect that we deserve,” said defensive end Beau Purvis. “Our coaching staff has brought us to the next level. We’ve been good but they are really squeezing everything out of us, every last bit. They’re pushing us to be great.”
The Panthers’ resilience was tested after going down 7-0 early, giving up a 53-yard touchdown run to Aaron Fierro. They buckled down after that initial score, holding the Knights the rest of the first half.
The offense started cooking, with Smigiel finding two different receivers for touchdowns. Simmons finished with nine catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Rosenthal added eight receptions for 53 yards. Cade Falsken also caught a touchdown.
Smigiel completed 27 passes on 38 attempts for 310 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and he also scored on a 5-yard run.
“I think we really came together as a team. We overcame the conditions, we came together and got the win,” Simmons said. “Defense stepped up, everybody came together, we punched them in the mouth and stayed at it.”
Newbury Park will look to remain undefeated against Royal next week with the start of Marmonte League completion.