Newbury Park Runs Its Way to Playoffs, 33-15

Newbury Park High’s Bill Phillips and Jayson Merrill didn’t know quite what to expect in Friday’s showdown with Westlake, and neither did Coach Ken Cook.

But the Panther trio quickly learned that the name of that game was run, run, run, and that’s what Phillips and Merrill did en route to a 33-15 defeat of the Warriors at Thousand Oaks High.

Phillips, a 5-11, 175-pound senior, pounded between the tackles for a game-high 114 yards, 90 coming on 18 first-half carries.

In addition to being effective as a runner, Phillips also made a great decoy for Merrill, who gained 47 yards on six rushes. A key example came early in the second quarter when a Phillips dive into the center of the Westlake line was so convincing that not only did the entire Westlake defense rise up to meet him, but Coach George Contreras, his staff and the players on the sidelines were screaming their heads off at the defense to keep Phillips from the first down.

Meanwhile, Merrill strolled toward the sideline and then streaked downfield for a 37-yard gain that set up the third Newbury Park touchdown of the half, a one-yard run by Darrin Jelly.

“Thousand Oaks had stopped us, just by bringing up people to plug the off-tackle hole,” Cook said. “So we put in a little keeper play to counter that. But Jayson’s not supposed to be that fast.”

Contreras agreed.

“Merrill did a great job on his fakes,” Contreras admitted. “I was yelling for our guys to drive their legs and make the tackle, and Merrill was down the sideline.”

The victory clinched at least third place in the Marmonte League race and a Coastal Conference playoff berth for Newbury Park, 3-2-1 in league play, and 5-4-1 overall. The Panthers could tie for second if 3-1-1 Channel Islands is upset by Simi Valley tonight.

The picture isn’t as clear for Westlake, however. The Warriors finished league play with a 3-3 record (5-5 overall), in a tie with Camarillo for fourth place. Westlake would earn a wild-card berth in the playoffs if it were offered to a Marmonte League team, because Westlake beat Camarillo earlier, 31-28.

On Friday, Newbury Park’s domination of the line of scrimmage was the deciding factor in the game, Contreras said. “We just got physically blown out in the first half. They were able to control the ball consistently and keep us off offense. That, and the early turnover, made a big difference.”

The turnover to which Contreras referred came on Westlake’s second offensive play of the night. With his team already trailing, 6-0, Westlake fullback Noel Baker fumbled the ball after being hit at the Newbury Park 38, and Panther defensive tackle Mike Stein recovered. Phillips scored on a four-yard run seven plays later and Newbury Park had a 12-0 lead.

The Panthers had opened the scoring on a 10-yard run by Merrill that capped a seven-play, 57-yard drive following Tim Blakeley’s 37-yard kickoff return to open the game.