The Acorn's High School Football Game of the Week
Camarillo Scorpions (1-0) at Newbury Park Panthers (0-0) Friday, 7 p.m.
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers GAME TIME- Panther head coach George Hurley, left, looks on as Daniel Fesmire takes down Jackson Powell in practice.

The season is here, finally.

After weeks of beating each other up in practice, grinding things out in the weight room and studying film throughout campus classrooms, the Newbury Park High football team finally gets to play for real Friday night at home against Camarillo High.

"Oh yeah, everybody is pumped up that we're getting ready to play someone else," junior running back/outside linebacker Chris Brown said.

"We're tired of hitting each other. It should be a good game Friday night."

The Panther season could be a good one, too. Newbury Park enters the year ranked No. 10 in the CIFSouthern Section Northern Division preseason poll.

Marmonte League foes Westlake (No. 4), Moorpark (No. 5) and Thousand Oaks (No. 8) were all ranked ahead of NPHS. Westlake and Moorpark both won their season openers last week. Thousand Oaks plays Loyola High in Glendale on Saturday.

While the preseason hype can amuse and entertain, it's of little consequence at kickoff.

Newbury Park head coach George Hurley understands what he's up against- a Camarillo squad that outmuscled Ventura High 28-21 on the road last weekend.

"A team shows its most improvement from the first week of the season to the second week of the season," Hurley said. "They (Camarillo) will be even better than they were against Ventura."

The Panther defense should be put to the test early on.

According to Hurley, Camarillo used multiple offensive formations to confuse Ventura's defenders and pile up rushing yards. Newbury Park believes the heart and soul of its defense is at linebacker, where Ron Tatham, Chance Flaaten, Brandon Born and Brown form the core of the team's three linemen, five linebacker scheme.

It could come down to strength vs. strength Friday night.

"Camarillo is definitely going to be a challenge, but with our new defense I think we can handle it," said Tatham, the team's leading tackler in 2006.

"We have a lot more linebackers. We're going to be able to handle the run and contain."

Like Brown, Tatham is looking forward to seeing unfamiliar faces on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

"I can't wait to start hitting on a new team, not expecting what they're going to do," Tatham said.

Senior quarterback Colby Cameron will run the show on offense for NPHS. Cameron completed 23-of-41 passes for 255 yards and two scores during last season's 21-14 win against Camarillo.

Cameron's offensive arsenal includes a well-versed, cohesive group of linemen, efficient routerunning wide receivers who won't blow defenses away with their speed, and Brown, the running back.

Hurley believes Brown will make a major impact this season, and by watching him on the practice field it's apparent that Brown possesses a wide variety of physical tools- in addition to running back and linebacker, he has the speed and cover skills to play cornerback, if needed.

"I'm really just a role player," Brown said. "I try to get firstdown yardage, but if I break it through, that's a touchdown. . . .

"With our linemen and our quarterback, we should be unstoppable this year."

The opening act begins at 7 p.m.

Players to Watch

Newbury Park QB Colby Cameron
RB/LB Chris Brown
LB Ron Tatham LB Chance Flaaten

Camarillo
QB Marcus Sanchez
RB Anthony Pinedo
WR/CB Phillip Johnson
DL Armando Valenzuela

Outlook

Panther fans will get their first look at a team many consider to be the preseason favorite to win the Marmonte League title. Cameron's progress has been outstanding during the offseason. He should be on top of his game. It'll be interesting to see if Brown can make an instant impact.