The Acorn's High School Football Game of the Week

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers WHEELS IN MOTION—Newbury Park High junior running back Cameron Roberson, center, finds a crease during practice. Jackson Powell doesn't eat quarterbacks for breakfast— he prefers them more as an after-dark cuisine.

On Friday night at Camarillo High, Newbury Park's standout senior defensive end will take the first step toward what he hopes will be a 15-sack campaign when the Panthers face the Scorpions in a grudge match being billed as the Battle of the Grade.

"It's always important to get pressure on a quarterback," said Powell, who had 11 sacks in 2007, "but I wouldn't say it's as important as if we were facing an experienced quarterback."

The quarterback Powell was alluding to is Camarillo junior Jeff Mathews, who will be making his first varsity start after leading the Scorpion JV team to a 9-1 record as a sophomore.

Panther assistant coach Doug Dagan, who's currently leading the team while head coach Gary Fabricius recovers from neck surgery—Fabricius is expected to be in the coaches' box at Camarillo— said he's been impressed with what he's seen from Mathews during the offseason.

"We faced (Mathews) a lot in the summer, and he's a good quarterback," Dagan said. "The ball comes out of there fast, and I don't even know if we can get to him or if it'll even faze him.

"We're going to do what we do best, and if it works, great. If it doesn't, we'll have to make adjustments on the fly."

Newbury Park, ranked fifth in the CIF-Southern Section Northern Division coaches' poll, will also be trotting out a new signalcaller, as sophomore Jake Geringer has earned the starting nod following a lengthy position battle that included three other players.

Like Mathews, Geringer, a transfer from Oaks Christian, will be thrust directly into the fire.

"It shouldn't be a big secret that we're going to try and run the ball," Dagan said. "(Geringer) shouldn't be asked to do too much. For the lack of a better word, he's going to be asked to manage the game."

Lucky for Geringer, he'll have some major offensive weapons at his disposal in running backs Chris Brown and Cameron Roberson, as well as wide receiver Phillip Muscarella.

"We're just going to try to keep on encouraging (Geringer)," Brown said.

"There will definitely be some plays when he'll be down and we'll be down, but we just have to pick each other up and things will be all right."

Brown, who's missed time this week because of injury, said he expects to play Friday, and play well. In addition to his offensive duties, Brown also competes at cornerback.

In last year's game, Brown scored a pair of touchdowns to lead NPHS to a 20-14 victory over Camarillo. It was the first of eight straight wins to open the season for the Panthers, a team that eventually split the Marmonte League title with Westlake.

Getting off to a fast start is important for Newbury Park, and success over a rival such as Camarillo could certainly put the wheels in motion for another solid season.

Still, for Powell and the rest of the Panthers, the ultimate goal never changes.

"To win—that's always the goal," Powell said. "Just win."

Players to Watch

Outlook

All eyes will be on the quarterbacks in this contest as Panther sophomore Jake Geringer and Camarillo junior Mathews prepare for their first varsity starts. Make no mistake, NPHS will challenge the Scorpions' rush defense with the lethal combination of Brown and Roberson.