Newbury Park Revisits Past With Passing Flurry, 47-21

Longtime Newbury Park High fans rubbed their eyes.

Was that Keith Smith on the field, or maybe one of the Czerneks?

No, it was Cameron Merrill passing for 345 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.

Was that Leodes Van Buren or Patrick Reddick making sensational catches and repeatedly finding the end zone?

No, it was L. Ray Hawkins making three touchdown catches, racking up 170 yards on seven receptions and returning an interception 50 yards for another score.

After running the ball all season, the Panthers returned to the passing blizzard that has made them Ventura County’s winningest program in the 1990s and shocked Righetti, 47-21, Friday night in a Southern Section Division IV first-round playoff game at Newbury Park.

“That team definitely surprised us by throwing the ball,” Righetti Coach Greg Dickinson said.

Geared up to stop tailback Marcus Crawford, who came in with 1,557 yards in 267 carries, Righetti was ill-prepared for Merrill’s aerial attack. A senior who replaced an injured Chris Lombardo in the second game of the season, Merrill completed 20 of 31 passes, displaying a feathery touch on fade routes and good zip on medium-range throws.

“It’s about time we did it Newbury Park-style,” Merrill said.

Righetti (7-4) scored with ease on its first possession, marching 55 yards on seven running plays. But Newbury Park (7-4) answered with touchdowns on four of its first five possessions and held a 33-14 halftime lead. Four of the scores followed Righetti turnovers.

Hawkins, a junior, caught a 15-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and scored the last two touchdowns of the half on spectacular plays.

A long pass by Merrill appeared to be intercepted by Matt Simkins, but Hawkins ripped the ball from his hands and sped into the end zone to complete a 41-yard play with 2:49 left in the half. A minute later he intercepted a pass at midfield and sprinted down the middle of the field to the end zone.

The Panthers opened the third quarter with an 80-yard scoring drive that consumed five minutes. Merrill hit Hawkins from 23 yards for a 40-14 lead.

Crawford gained 59 yards in 18 carries and scored Newbury Park’s final touchdown on a five-yard run.

“You’ve got to do whatever you’ve got to do to win, and tonight we had to play catch,” Newbury Park Coach George Hurley said.