Newbury Park High

Newbury Park High will no longer be issuing apologies. Although Newbury Park finished second to Westlake in the Marmonte League, Coach George Hurley felt a twinge of embarrassment before the postseason began. The Panthers, after all, were only 6-4. "I was almost apologizing for being in the playoffs," he said. But unseeded Newbury Park downed Righetti, 47-21, with surprising ease in the first round and stunned Buena, 21-14, last Friday in a Southern Section Division IV quarterfinal.

Longtime Newbury Park High fans rubbed their eyes. Was that Keith Smith on the field, or maybe one of the Czerneks? No, it was Cameron Merrill passing for 345 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. Was that Leodes Van Buren or Patrick Reddick making sensational catches and repeatedly finding the end zone? No, it was L. Ray Hawkins making three touchdown catches, racking up 170 yards on seven receptions and returning an interception 50 yards for another score.

HIGH SCHOOL * VALENCIA (7-3) vs. CRESCENTA VALLEY (8-2) At Glendale High, 7:30 p.m. Until last week, these teams didn't figure to see each other until the Southern Section Division III semifinals. Valencia was ranked No. 3 in the division before a 21-13 loss to Saugus last week dropped the Vikings to third place in the Foothill League. Crescenta Valley, ranked fifth, lost to Arcadia, 21-17, to fall into a three-way tie for first in the Pacific.

TV or not TV? That is the question, usually a costly one, that high schools are forced to ask when presented the opportunity to have a football game broadcast live by Fox Sports Net 2. In a perfect world, it's an ideal concept for a school, which gets to show off its football team and its campus. But being the host for a televised game can lead to financial headaches.

Warren Livingston finished second and Brandon Nakagawa was third to help Newbury Park High defeat Simi Valley and Agoura in a Marmonte League double-dual boys' cross-country meet Thursday at Agoura. Livingston, a junior, clocked 16:41 over the three-mile course and Nakagawa, also a junior, timed 16:43 as Newbury Park (3-0, 3-0 in league meets) beat Agoura, 26-29, and Simi Valley, 21-38. Agoura, ranked No.

Newbury Park High passed for 67 yards against Royal last week, believed to be its lowest total since 1990. Since losing quarterback Chris Lombardo for the season because of a broken leg, the Panthers' traditionally strong passing game has been grounded. Backup Cameron Merrill, who dislocated his right shoulder in June, has struggled since taking over. "Our offense is so much timing and so much practice," Coach George Hurley said. "That's just not there right now. It's taking us time to catch up."

The quarterback was lost for the season. The team nearly was too. Everything was spiraling out of control for Newbury Park High, which wanted a rough nonleague game and got it against Paso Robles on Friday. A 28-point halftime deficit was bad news for the Panthers, a broken left ankle for quarterback Chris Lombardo made it worse. To the Panthers' credit, they rallied and made the game somewhat respectable, losing 35-20. But their losses were more than one game. Lombardo, a transfer from St.

"Give me a good athlete and I'll turn him into a good football player." George Hurley, the Newbury Park High football coach, says several college coaches have made statements in that vein after watching tight end Will Svitek play. Svitek, a 6-foot-6, 235-pound senior, s being recruited by several Pacific 10 and Big Ten conference schools not so much for what he's has done, but for what he's capable of doing. "He's not the most refined tight end," Hurley said of Svitek, a three-sport athlete.