FINALLY, The Camino League Opener at Camarillo H.S.

2015 Camino League Opener

Newbury Park Panthers (3-4, 0-0)

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Camarillo Scorpions (3-4, 0-0)

After seven non-league games, it was finally time to play a Camino League game!

This year, the four JV teams in the Camino League (Camarillo, Newbury Park, Royal and Thousand Oaks) were all limping into the opening night of circuit play with identical 3-4 records. Although it did not appear to be a stellar year at the JV level for the league, it promised to make for some competitive games over the final three weeks of the 2015 campaign.

This week's Captains

Our leaders for the Camarillo game were #8 WR/CB Ian Albaeck, #55 LB Ameer Moukadan, #68 OT/DE Nick Krause and #9 QB/B Ruben Soria.

Cameron Brown returning the

opening kickoff

Ian Albaeck's 71 yard TD

catch and run was followed by . . .

. . . Matt Stein's three yard fumble recovery

return for a TD on the ensuing Kickoff

 We played good defense

in the first quarter

It would not last.

Ian Albaeck's 99 yard Pick-Six

Ian had another great game! He caught nine passes for 223 yards and two TDs. Defensively, he was in on three tackles and, of course, had this Pick-Six TD.

 Angel Farfan's ten yard return of a

recovered fumble led to . . .

. . . a short TD run by Ruben Soria

and a 28-0 first quarter lead!

Is it even possible to say enough about Ruben's leadership and toughness? I doubt it.

Ruben rushed 19 times for 78 yards and 3 TDs, was 16/21 passing for 275 yards and two TDs, was in on three tackles and intercepted a pass to end the game.

HANG ON!!!

The Scorpions were not going away anytime soon.

Noah Clark advancing the Magic Bean

Angel Farfan getting off of a block

DAMN!

Hunter Hoskins, a quickly developing rookie player, had his season come to an abrupt end when he broke his leg covering a punt in a freakish collision with one of his teammates.

At the intermission, we were clinging to a 35-21 lead.

We needed more of this on defense

Cameron Brown tackling a receiver

Logan Popok did a fine job on screen passes

The Final Score, in a wild one, was

Newbury Park (4-4, 1-0 CL) 49

Camarillo (3-5, 0-1 CL) 39

In the other Camino League JV game Friday night, Thousand Oaks defeated Royal 28-14.

Thus after the first of three Camino League weekends, the standings are:

1T. Newbury Park (4-4) 1-0

Thousand Oaks (4-4) 1-0

3T. Camarillo (3-5) 0-1

Royal (3-5) 0-1

This coming week's action shapes like this:

Newbury Park (4-4, 1-0 CL) at Royal (3-5, 0-1 CL)

Camarillo (3-5, 0-1 CL) at Thousand Oaks (4-4, 1-0 CL)

Reading Is FUNdamental

Jack Reacher is
just BAD ASS!

The Westlake Game

Westlake Warriors (4-2)

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Newbury Park Panthers (3-3)

After last week's bye, it was time to get back to work this Friday against one of our two crosstown rivals, the Westlake Warriors. 

For those of you wondering, the Thousand Oaks Lancers are our other crosstown rivals.

Our kicker, of course

He is Travis Golds and he had a very good game versus the Warriors with four PATs, two field goals, solid kickoffs and a nice 37 yarder the only time he was asked to punt. He also had a touchdown saving tackle on a kickoff.

 Braintrust pre-game meeting

 Game Captains: #8 Ian Albaeck,
#6 Ryan Lucero, #68 Nick Krause and
#9 Ruben Soria

Can you tell which one was representing the Scout Team?

 Johnny Ringo

Love seeing the Panthers come
out of the tunnel

Travis' kickoff forced the Warrior return
man out at their one yard line

Good start!

 Cameron Brown intercepts a Westlake
pass on their first drive

He would also recover a fumble later in the contest.

 Noah Clark returned to action
for the first time since the first quarter
of our first game

 Good tackling early in the game

Clark behind Krause's block

Warrior Down

TJ Davis' 14 yard TD romp
upped our lead to 9-0

The PAT was good, making it 10-0

Solid tackle by Ruben Soria
who had nine in the game

 Screen to Ian Albaeck goes . . .

. . . 51 yards to the house!

Ian caught nine passes for 189 yards and this TD.

Cameron Brown returning a kickoff

Ruben Soria passed for 190 yards
and a TD as well as . . .

. . . rushing for 173 yards and two TDs

 Ruben is shifty in the open field

 In Ventura County coaching circles,
I'm considered a medium

 Great fourth down pass break up
by Ian Albaeck

Ruben takes off on his fourth quarter
85 yard TD scamper

 A timely punt by Travis Golds

In many aspects we played our best game of the season. Second half tackling was not one of those aspects.

For the second straight game we were beaten by a point via a last minute two point conversion. We lost to the Warriors 35-34.

 Post-game meeting with a frustrated
team and staff

Ruben Soria was the easy choice for
the Game Hammer

So we are finally done with our non-league games and now enter the last phase of our season, the three game Camino League season.

We are now a disappointing 3-4 on the season. Three of our losses came to teams with a combined 17-4 record. Two of our losses were by one point.

All four of the Camino League JV teams (Camarillo, Newbury Park, Royal and Thousand Oaks) enter league play with identical 3-4 records. Thus, all of us have struggled and all of us are looking for a fresh start in league action.

Next Friday we will open Camino League play at Camarillo. Hopefully, with a good week of practice, we will be up to the challenge.

New Casa Contreras Bric-a-Brac

Our EuroBall friends Skip and Jan Albano recently posted on FaceBook about a fun addition to there home outlining their American football journeys.

I contacted them instantly because we wanted a similar one for our home.

They put me in contact with Sandy Hampton of Hampton Repurposed Wood who took my order and made the signs for us in just a week.

Laurie likes it and so do I.

Our American football 
coaching odyssey

California high schools above our EuroBall teams.

The five Ventura County high schools
where I have coached in order

Our five EuroBall stops in order

Congratulations to Skip and Jan as Skip has just been named the new Head Coach for the 2016 season of France's Division I powerhouse, the Thonen-les-Bains Black Panthers.

I guess they need to order a new team board for their sign.

By the way, we would love to add another one to our board as well if a team in Europe needs a mature coach.

Reading Is FUNdamental

I love this series of tales by Englishman Martin Walker set in France's Périgord region that are equal parts mystery, French cuisine, rural French lifestyle and, in this case, old Cold War espionage brought back to light.

A pre-WWII spy thriller set in 1938 Paris, New York, Warsaw, and Odessa with the Spanish Civil War as a backdrop. What more could you ask for in a good yarn?

The French Invasion of Southern California Continues at Pierce College

A reminder . . .

There is no "I" in Team and

there is no "A" in Mother.

Just saying . . .

On Saturday night, I joined the Paul, Joanne and Nicole Sabolic to watch a Community College game at Pierce College in Woodland Hills.

Their son/brother Jason is the Head Coach of Pierce's 3-1 Brahmas football team.

Pierce was hosting the 2-2 Orange Coast College Pirates whose roster included a former Bron-Villeurbanne Falcon from France.

The player in question was #48, Louis Condevaux, a strapping 6'3", 210 lbs. Tight End.

Our friends from Lyon, Justin and Vivien Villard who were at the Washington-USC game with us last Thursday night, would join us tonight as well.

Pierce punting in the red

Justin hiding behind Vivien during a selfie

As is often the case, the action in the stands was as interesting as the game itself. The game was a sloppy one with at least five turnovers for each team.

A physical and fast OCC team prevailed on this warm night 35-7.

 OCC post game huddle

With Vivien and Louis after the game

Louis is much bigger than I remember him. He is getting the chance to live the dream of every American football player in Europe, a year of intense training in the sport that we love in the USA!