Marcus Crawford got used to chasing the...

Marcus Crawford got used to chasing the ball.

Now he carries it for Newbury Park. And carries it. And carries it.

Crawford, who played defensive end last year, ran for 206 yards and three touchdowns in 26 carries in the Panthers’ 27-14 victory over Burroughs last week.

The 6-2, 205-pound junior, who transferred from Thousand Oaks, provided plenty of strength and speed in his debut at running back.

“Better than we expected, certainly,” Coach George Hurley of Newbury Park said.

Crawford played defense at Thousand Oaks, biding his time behind Wes Cobos and Joey Casillas, who were All-Ventura County running backs.

“He always had the ability,” Hurley said.

“I think Thousand Oaks had two excellent running backs last year. They didn’t need him as a running back last year.”

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Running back Tyler Ebell of Ventura, who left the game last week against Simi Valley because of a slight concussion but returned to spark a 27-21 victory, will play Friday night against Moorpark.

Ebell missed most of the first half, but scored the winning touchdown on a 12-yard run with 22 seconds left. He finished with 154 yards and a touchdown in 16 carries.

“You’re just never sure, so you always err on the side of caution,” when dealing with a head injury, Coach Phil McCune of Ventura said. “We had someone looking at him the whole time.”

Ebell, the focal point of the Ventura offense, should surpass last season’s totals of 1,268 yards and 14 touchdowns. “He’s had a lot of big plays,” McCune said.