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Week 1 high school football roundup: Oak Park passes Calabasas test

from staff reports
·9 min read

It was precisely the test by competitive fire that Oak Park High football coach Casey Webb was seeking for his football team.

The Eagles aced it, too.

Matched up against Calabasas High and its array of top-notch athletes, Oak Park rallied for a 23-22 victory in their nonleague matchup at Oak Park High on Friday night.

"It was a nice win for us because we really wanted to test ourselves against a team with a lot of stellar athletes," said Webb. "Aaron Butler is probably as good as anyone in our county. I really like the way we responded."

Landon Homes caught two touchdown passes from Kadyn Parr, including an 11-yard score on fourth down with five minutes remaining to give the Eagles their first lead of the game.

Rowan Heidt rushed for 106 yards on 28 carries and had two catches for 17 yards, Parr completed 16 of 24 attempts for two touchdowns and rushed for 30 yards and Hayden Lynch hauled in eight receptions for 122 yards as the Eagles moved to 2-0.

Jaden Mosley racked up 12 tackles and Lucas Soaras Gache had nine tackles and a forced fumble.

Oak Park trailed 13-6 in first quarter and 20-16 entering the final quarter. The Eagles defense stopped Calabasas on fourth down at the Oak Park 30 with 1:15 remaining in the game.

The Eagles took a safety on the final play to avoid a last-second punt.

Calabasas fell to 1-1. Among the big plays for Calabasas was a 62-yard touchdown pass from Alonzo Contreras to Butler in the first quarter that upped the Coyotes lead to 13-7.

Contreras finished with 280 passing yards and three scoring passes. He also rushed for 75 yards.

Webb said it was a win to learn from.

"We made some mistakes that we'll need to clean up," said Webb. "We've got a couple more games to get ready for league, including a Brentwood team that throws the ball pretty well. Another good test for us."

Oak Park will play at Brentwood this Friday and host Nordhoff in two weeks. Canyon League competition begins on Sept. 16 with the Eagles home vs. Thousand Oaks.

Calabasas will host El Camino this Friday.

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SANTA PAULA 26, CHANNEL ISLANDS 20

Marcus Castaneda threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns and Bryce Zavala ran for two scores as the Cardinals came from behind to beat the Raiders and improve to 2-0.

“It was a fun game,” Santa Paula coach Mike Montoya said. “We were a bit sloppy … but we were able to settle down in the second half and do some things that we’re good at.”

Nathan Perez had five catches for 79 yards, Justen Zamudio had four catches for 79 yards and Anthony Mex caught a TD pass for Santa Paula.

Channel Islands took an early lead on Caleb Harrison’s 60-yard interception return for a touchdown on Santa Paula’s first offensive snap.

The Raiders (0-1) led 20-14 in the third quarter after Brian Cabrera’s 26-yard TD run.

Channel Islands coach Gary Porter was pleased with how his team performed in its first game conditions of the season.

“We had no scrimmage, no (Week Zero) game,” Porter said. “We had some opportunities that we missed … but overall, this team wants to play. They came out and they played hard.

“Now we’ve got something to work with.”

Santa Paula hosts Artesia this Friday. Channel Islands plays Carpinteria at home.

SIMI VALLEY 51, KNIGHT 0

Is this a special season for the Pioneers? It's already become a showcase for the special teams.

Andrew Rezinas blocked two punts and scooped up one for a touchdown, and Carlos Ferreiro blocked a third punt that Caleb Alvary returned for a score as visiting Simi Valley turned three blocked punts into touchdowns.

The three scores mark five touchdowns that Simi Valley special teams have racked up in two games. A week ago, the Pioneers had two kickoff returns for scores.

Steele Pizzella had a pair of touchdown passes, including a 16-yard hookup with Alvary, and Ray Morrow rushed for a 7-yard score as Simi Valley improved to 2-0. Morrow also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.

The Pioneers play at city rival Royal next Friday night.

OXNARD 21, HART 18

Andrew Maria threw two touchdown passes in the final seven minutes as host Oxnard came from behind to improve to 2-0.

Eli Aragon went 79 yards down the sideline with 6:25 to play and Elijah Davis pulled down the game-winning TD catch with 4:46 left.

“We showed we can come back and win a ballgame,” Oxnard coach Jaime Moreno said.

Maria completed 14 of 23 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns. Davis caught six passes for 73 yards and two scores. Aragon caught three passes for 100 yards.

Oxnard starts Channel League play this Friday with a home game against Ventura.

NEWBURY PARK 51, EL CAMINO 0

One stellar half was all that the Pioneers needed from freshman quarterback Brady Smigiel to win their home opener.

Smigiel completed 9 of 12 pass attempts for 231 yards and four touchdowns in playing only the first half.

Shane Rosenthal had four receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns, Charlie Simmons had two catches for 57 yards and one touchdown, and Casey Knieriem notched two receptions for 32 yards and one score.

The Panthers led 44-0 at halftime.

Newbury Park (2-0) will host Crespi this Friday.

OAKS CHRISTIAN 38, SIERRA CANYON 21

Talk about a confidence booster. The Lions dominated host Sierra Canyon to pick up the victory against a high-caliber opponent it has been sorely seeking.

Devin Tate threw for 157 yards and a pair of touchdowns and rushed for another and Johnny Thompson rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns as Oaks Christian evened its record at 1-1.

Chase Farrell was a key figure in the passing game in scoring on a 57-yard reception for a 13-7 lead and an advantage the Lions would not surrender. Thompson's 1-yard touchdown run opened up a 20-7 lead.

Aiden Flintoft's 31-yard field goal and Tate's 1-yard rushing TD in the third quarter expanded the lead to 37-14.

Oaks Christian will take on Colorado-Regis Jesuit in the Honor Bowl next Saturday in San Diego.

ROYAL 41, CASTAIC 20

After upsetting Birmingham a week ago on the road, the Highlanders made their home debut with a decisive victory.

"Definitely something to build upon," said Mike Puopolo, Royal's first-year coach. "We can play better in all phases, but winning on the road definitely boosted our confidence."

Quarterback Evan Nagy threw for three touchdowns, including pass plays of 40 and 24 yards to Owen Muench.

Gunner Osborne and Gage Gibson rushed for touchdowns and Kareem Barakat returned an interception for a 5-yard touchdown.

Royal will host city rival Simi Valley this Friday.

WESTLAKE 50, CRESPI 7

The Warriors leveled their record at 1-1 and gathered momentum heading into their upcoming matchup with Conejo Valley rival Thousand Oaks.

Dominick Hunt hit on 14 of 22 passes for 191 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, Isaiah Sepand rushed for 139 yards and one touchdown on nine carries and was 2-of-7 passing for 17 yards and one score, and Braylan Butout had six receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns for visiting Westlake.

Jordan Garrison grabbed three receptions for 29 yards and a pair of scores, Cole Janowicz had three catches for 21 yards and one touchdown, and Brett Enderle blocked two punts.

SAUGUS 41, MOORPARK 13

Seeking to cut the deficit to a single score at the end of the first half on the road, Moorpark had the ball stripped from a wide receiver in the end zone and that play proved decisive.

Moorpark coach Ryan Huisenga said it was a learning experience.

"We had some guys making their first start and Saugus exposed that for some big plays," he said.

Moorpark (1-1) has a bye this week.

WEST RANCH 49, BUENA 0

Down to its fourth-string quarterback, the host Bulldogs struggled in falling to 0-2.

“West Ranch is a good team and they’ve got some good players and a lot of experience,” Buena coach Ryan Bolland said. “But we’ve got a long way to go.”

Starting quarterback Zane Carter missed his second straight game with a “health situation.” Backup Ty Weeks also missed the game with an injury.

“We’ve got to find a way to do things that we’re supposed to do, technique-wise and assignment-wise,” Bolland said.

Running back Camden Walker, filling in behind center, completed 6 of 15 passes for 57 yards and ran for a team-high 32 yards. Colin Guenther had three catches for 42 yards for Buena, which trailed 42-0 at the half.

Buena opens Channel League play at Dos Pueblos this Friday.

BURBANK-BURROUGHS 17, FILLMORE 7

Fillmore (1-1) mustered just 173 yards of total offense on the road in Burbank.

The Flashes pulled within 14-7 on Anthony Tafoya’s 24-yard TD pass to Jarod Uridel in the second quarter, but were shut out in the second half.

“We made mistakes,” Fillmore coach Charlie Weis said, “but that’s how you learn.”

Mathew Magana had an interception to lead the defense.

Fillmore faces another tough opponent next week when it visits Newhall-Hart.

“We have goals for ourselves that extend well beyond Week 1,” Weis said. “This helps us prepare for that.”

CANYON COUNTRY-CANYON 28, HUENEME 7

Missing four starters to injuries, the Vikings fell to 0-2 on the road.

Josiah Sanchez’s 60-yard TD pass to Brian Pintor pulled Hueneme within 14-7 in the second quarter.

“We couldn’t really get anything going on offense,” interim head coach Ryan Frazier said. “We’ve been a little unlucky with the injury bug.”

Hueneme hosts Knight of Palmdale in a nonleague game this Friday.

DOS PUEBLOS 41, NORDHOFF 7

The Rangers fell to 0-2 after throwing seven interceptions on the road. Nordhoff will play at Agoura in a nonleague game this Friday.

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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Week 1 high school football roundup: Oak Park passes Calabasas test