Madrigal carries the load as Camarillo beats Newbury Park to secure 2nd place in Canyon

Nathaniel Madrigal was going to be the guy. Had to be. Co-backfield mate Robert Trey Valles III was sidelined with an injured ankle.

"I knew I had to carry the load," said Madrigal, Camarillo High's junior running back. "We had a run-heavy game plan, which meant that I would get a lot of carries. I wanted to come through for the team."

Did he ever.

Madrigal rushed for a career-high 230 yards, including touchdowns of 56, 66 and 8 yards, as the Camarillo football team rolled up a 26-14 victory over visiting Newbury Park on Friday night to secure second place in the Canyon League in the regular-season finale.

"It feels great," said Madrigal. "The touchdown came on zone reads where the defensive end kicked inside and I bounced outside. When I was running, I just told myself, 'Keep going.' "

Talk about a complete-game victory. Matched up against the potent Newbury Park offense and freshman star quarterback Brady Smigiel, the Scorpions shut down the run and continually harassed the quarterback.

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Jacob Mantei blitzed his way to a career-best four sacks. Jackson Walea and Griffin Addison each had interceptions.

"It feels amazing," said Mantei. "That team throws the ball so well. We wanted to first stop the run and bring the pressure. I was able to make a move and get in."

The clutch win for Camarillo included a frightening moment.

After Newbury Park tallied its second touchdown with 8:55 remaining in the fourth quarter, Camarillo senior Brandon Contreras handled the kickoff and was stood up by a crushing hit.

He crumbled to the ground and apparently lost consciousness for a few minutes. He was transported via ambulance to the hospital, where the news was cautiously good.

Contreras was diagnosed with a concussion and was released from the hospital around 11 p.m., said Camarillo head coach Jack Willard.

On the heels of last week's 44-10 victory over Moorpark, Camarillo (8-2 overall, 5-1 in league) might have played its best two games of the season back to back. The Scorpions will head into the CIF-Southern Section playoffs with a full head of momentum.

The postseason pairings will be revealed Sunday.

"We've got to keep playing the way we've been playing," said Mantei. "Everybody knows their roles on defense."

The good news for Newbury Park? The Panthers are an automatic qualifier and will garner a playoff berth for the first time since 2017. The last playoff victory was 2014.

It wasn't the sharpest of games for Newbury Park and Smigiel, who still completed 26 of 43 attempts for 302 yards and two touchdowns. Casey Knieriem had seven receptions for 128 yards and TDs of 38 and 29 yards.

While Camarillo controlled throughout the contest, the game's decisive moments came after the Panthers scored their second touchdown to trim the deficit to 19-14.

After Contreras' injury, play resumed with 8:47 still on the fourth-quarter clock.

The Scorpions responded with a 14-play, 68-yard touchdown drive that chewed nearly six minutes off the clock and ended in Madrigal's 8-yard scoring run.

"The clock had 8:47 on it, and (the offense) did exactly what it needed to do," Willard told his team in the postgame huddle. "That's how you close out games. You know how to do it, and we should be a better team going forward."

There were a pair of third-down conversions on the march, including a 5-yard reverse by Reese Winchester on third-and-5 from the 18. Three consecutive carries by Madrigal ended up in the end zone.

Camarillo earned the win on a night of modest production from its passing attack. Brody Meyer finished 9 of 17 for 98 yards. Addison, the county's leading receiver, had three catches for 13 yards.

For Newbury Park, Shane Rosenthal hauled in 13 receptions for 108 yards and Colton Yoos had three catches for 36 yards.

The Panthers were limited to 15 rushing yards, with Nolan Story picking that up on seven carries.

Camarillo grabbed a 7-0 lead on Madrigal's 56-yard touchdown run at the close of the first period.

Newbury Park evened the score on Smigiel's 38-yard hookup with Knieriem early in the second quarter.

After the 7-7 tie at halftime, Camarillo took the lead for good on Madrigal's 66-yard sprint late in the third period. Walea's interception led to Contreras' 8-yard scoring run, and a 19-7 lead with 10:53 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Newbury Park's frustration can be summed up by one possession in the second quarter. The Panthers held a first down at the Camarillo 28, but were stymied by back-to-back sacks from Mantei.

Loren Ledin is the Prep Editor for The Star. He can be reached at loren.ledin@vcstar.com or 805-437-0285.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Camarillo beats Newbury Park to secure 2nd place in Canyon League