Life’s just a league full of “hurdles” for Newbury Park

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Newbury Park Coach George Hurley has a name for Marmonte League wins.

He calls them, somewhat lovingly, ‘hurdles,’ and on Friday night the Panthers got over the biggest one with a 27-13 victory over visiting Westlake.

I know, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark and Simi Valley are still looming, but you’ve got to be pretty bold to say Newbury Park isn’t the favorite for the league title.

Just don’t mention this to Hurley or you might get the ‘hurdle’ talk.

‘It’s a hurdle race and we still have five more hurdles to go,’ Hurley said. ‘So nothing is decided just yet.’

Of course, when you’ve got a expert hurdle jumper like RB Chris Brown on your side, the odds of you winning the race are pretty good.

Still a junior, Brown put up his second consecutive 200 yard-performance, this time rushing for 222 yards and two TDs in 36 carries. He had more than 100 in the first half and, more than anything, his fast feet allowed the Panthers to keep the ball out of Westlake’s hands. Newbury Park had close to double the possession time of the Warriors.

‘It was a good hard effort from a really strong player,’ Hurley said. ‘He’s an integral part of this team.’

Brown wasn’t the only standout. The Panthers’ defense did a great job keeping the Westlake offense under control, holding RB Cooper Shockley to 81 yards in 17 carries.

But the defense’s defining moment came at the beginning of the fourth quarter when it prevented Westlake from getting a first down inside the red zone. The Warriors made it all the way to the Panthers’ six-yard line, but were forced to settle for a 27-yard Jordan Mannisto field goal that made the score, 20-13.

‘That was the turning point of the game,’ Newbury Park linebacker Chance Flaaten said. ‘We kept our composure in that situation and made a big play.’

And it’s plays like those that make the Panthers the most lethal team in the Marmonte League, despite all those so-called ‘hurdles.’

(Hurley addresses his players after the game in the photo)

- Austin Knoblauch