Royal Keeps Taking What It Wants, 35-0

MOORPARK — Those Royal High defensive players. All they do is take, take, take.

The Highlanders took the ball away from Newbury Park seven times on Friday night, creating ample opportunities for the offense in a 35-0 Marmonte League rout at Moorpark College.

“We played great,” said Royal defensive back Christian Broussard, who had three interceptions. “It was just a total team effort.”

The Highlanders intercepted five passes and recovered two fumbles.

“We knew they had a great defense,” Newbury Park Coach George Hurley said. “We were just hoping we could execute. But we were playing with nine guys every play. We had two guys doing something wrong on each play, and it was always a different two guys.”

Royal (4-1, 2-0 in league play), which posted its second consecutive shutout, held Newbury Park to 93 yards passing and 38 yards rushing.

The Highlanders tackled the Panthers for losses on nine plays, including six sacks.

Newbury Park’s Justin Vint completed six of 12 passes for 52 yards in the first half, and Chris Czernek completed three of nine for 41 yards in the second. Vint threw three interceptions and Czernek threw two.

Royal tailback Jerome Lee gained 111 yards and scored two touchdowns in 11 carries. Quarterback Wes Lagatta completed three of nine passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Newbury Park (3-2, 1-1), playing at Moorpark College for the first time since it won the Southern Section Division III title there last December, could only manage 56 yards in the first half, and three of its drives were stalled by Broussard’s interceptions, all of which came inside the Royal 30.

All three of Royal’s second-half scores were set up by turnovers in Newbury Park territory. The defense scored when Mike Weyandt returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown.