Newbury Park Sews a Pocket That’s Airtight

In the grunt-and-groan vocabulary of offensive linemen, it might be termed a mental block.

One thought. Hit with all you’ve got. Repeat.

At Newbury Park High, the line protects Czerneks like the Secret Service protects Clintons.

Nick Czernek replaced his record-setting brother, Chris, as Panther quarterback this year. The team is 6-0, ranked No. 1 in the region, and Nick has looked so comfortable in the pocket he might as well be playing in a bathrobe and slippers.

“Our line is great,” Czernek said. “They are experienced and they’re all leaders. They aren’t as big as some linemen, but they go all out and get the job done.”

Czernek has thrown 154 passes and been sacked only six times.

The line is basically unchanged from the unit that allowed Chris Czernek to be sacked only eight times in 470 pass plays last season. Four starters returned--three are in their third varsity seasons--and have been joined by a tackle who spent his childhood on the Newbury Park sidelines.

Meet the muscle that makes Newbury Park one of the most prolific offenses in the state:

* Center Justin Nagy (5 feet 10, 195 pounds), whose technique has enabled him to tip the scales against larger opponents for three years as a starter.

* Guard Brian Crain (6-2, 215), a vocal three-year starter whose play on offense is almost an afterthought to his primary role as the Panthers’ top defender.

* Guard Anthony Foli (6-3, 230), an athletic junior and a two-year starter who plays first base on the baseball team. His uncle is former major league shortstop Tim Foli.

* Tackle Chris Soury (5-11, 235), a three-year starter who religiously cares for his pet cockatiel and dog before heading for the field and transforming into an animal himself.

* Tackle Ryan Hurley (6-5, 272), a senior first-year starter and son of Coach George Hurley whose Division I size and strength enable him to perform as ably as the veterans.

After leading the offense to yet another touchdown--Newbury Park averages 35.5 points a game--the quintet returns to the sidelines for a well-deserved breather that lasts all of about 10 seconds.

The Panthers kick off and all five linemen are back on the field for defense.

“They literally turn around and face the other way,” George Hurley said.

Nagy, the nose guard, is inches from the football all night. Soury and Hurley are defensive tackles, Crain and Foli are linebackers. Fatigue is ignored.

“We know the guy next to us is just as tired and it’s not fair if one of us lets down,” Foli said. “So we fight through it.”

Senior Tony Biasi sometimes spells Nagy on defense and junior Anthony Mendiaz and sophomore Elliott Elkins get snaps on offense, but otherwise the big five don’t leave the field except on kickoffs.

For the five linemen who work harder than an ox in a rice paddy, relaxation doesn’t come until the pads are peeled off. Like a lot of guys, they list golf and bowling as hobbies.

So, boys, how often do you tee it up?

Said Soury: “Uh, we went golfing once. We lost a lot of balls.”

Said Hurley: “But we’re all going to try out for the golf team in the spring because we get a free round.”

And bowling?

“Uh, we go whenever it’s dollar night,” Crain said.

Sounds like their hobby actually is bargain-hunting.

Or head-hunting. After all the pass blocking they must do, their greatest pleasure is to hear Czernek call a running play.

“I’m not going to lie, run blocking is more fun than pass blocking,” Nagy said. “When a run is called, we get fired up because we can flatten defensive backs.”

Said Crain: “Pass blocking is boring, it’s like rest for us. We want to keep our quarterback safe, that’s the motive. But to run block, that’s our time to go after people.”

No chance Newbury Park will transform into a grind-it-out offense simply to satiate the line’s lust for getting in licks. The Panthers have had one of the nation’s best passing attacks this decade.

Chris Czernek and his predecessor at quarterback, Keith Smith, combined to pass for nearly 20,000 yards from 1991-96, including more than 4,000 yards three times.

The five linemen are friends who look for ways to display solidarity. They are contemplating dying their hair yellow next week, after the Homecoming dance this weekend.

They want to look good for pictures, or at least as good as linemen can look.

“Offensive linemen with Homecoming dates,” George Hurley mused. “That’s a sign right there they must be doing pretty well.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

On the Offensive

Whether Chris Czernet or his brother Nick is at quarterback, Newbury Park’s offense has been one of the best in the region. Here’s a look at the team’s impressive numbers the past two seasons.

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Year G Rush Pass Total Avg. ’97 6 689 1591 2280 380.0 ’96 6 786 1954 2740 456.7 ‘97* 10 1148 2652 3800 380.0 ’96 10 1216 3279 4495 449.5

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* Projected figures based on average through six games this season