Newbury Park’s varsity football team tackles CIF playoffs
As Archie Andrews once said on the Netflix show “Riverdale,” “You haven’t known the triumphs and defeats, the epic highs and lows of high school football.” Though a comical statement, football truly is a cornerstone of the American high school experience, and this is no exception at NPHS.
No matter the score, under the stadium lights, student and community supporters proudly cheer on the NPHS team from the stands. However, this season the team has accomplished beyond previous expectations: going undefeated for eleven games and advancing to the second round of CIF playoffs after a 27-0 win against San Jacinto High School. The team’s rankings have also improved from 104th to 10th in California and 1st in Division Two of the Southern Section, according to MaxPreps. Varsity football players Beau Smigiel, junior, Kayin Booker, senior and Balen Betancourt, junior, are among the student athletes who have contributed to their team’s success, a success that they hope to continue as they look towards the CIF Southern Section Championships.
Though expectations for the football team ramps up with the progression of the CIF playoffs, Betancourt, middle line and running back, tackles waves of pressure with confidence and trust in his team’s capability. “You know, we expected to be undefeated. We prepare every week the same. Nothing really changes. We just know what we’re capable of,” Betancourt said. To prepare for the next round of CIF playoffs, Betancourt and his team continue to uphold an assertive mentality and try to stay level-headed. “[It] didn’t really put extra pressure on us. It’s just what we’re supposed to do,win the championship,” Betancourt said. Betancourt also focuses on setting concise goals for himself during the upcoming playoff games. “[I want to] just do as best as I can in every game and help us win the championship this year,” Betancourt said.
Smigiel chooses not to let the NPHS football team’s impressive winning streak get to his head. “[It] feels great to be undefeated but the job’s not finished. We gotta go beat [San Clemente] and get ourselves a ring,” he said. Smigiel believes the team’s improvement lies in their unity. “I think…that we all worked together and we nobody only [cares] about themselves…Everyone cares about each other,” Smigiel said. However, progress does not come without setbacks. “We faced some challenges, which were some injuries to our best players… It was also a challenge getting to know each other,” Smigiel said.
Portland State University football commit Booker, a running back, wide receiver and linebacker for the team, accredits the team’s success this year to the people working off the field. “I think definitely our coaching staff [contributed], we have the best coaching staff in the county, and I definitely think [they] are worth that [title],” Booker said. Booker, who transferred from St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura last year, also believes NPHS’s football program helped foster an environment for improvement. “We play as more of a team here and the school contributes more to the football program…I could see that [the school] really cares about it a lot,” Booker said.
As the NPHS football team prepares to face off against San Clemente High School, Betancourt believes the higher stakes will continue to motivate his team to create success in the CIF football championships. “This year we’re going into it thinking we need to win it all. But, we’re just going with the same positive mindset every week,” Betancourt said.
