High school football notebook: QB Brady Smigiel ready for next step at Newbury Park

Hard as it might be for opponents to fathom, Brady Smigiel will enter his sophomore season refreshed and reenergized.

He’s a wide-eyed freshman no longer. He’s not the wunderkind quarterback prospect wondering if he can fulfill the hype.

Nope, Smigiel delivered huge results as a ninth-grader for the Newbury Park High football team. Now he’s preparing for his sophomore campaign eager for the next step.

“It’s 100% different,” he said Saturday in between action at the Ventura County Football Coaches Association’s 7 on 7 tournament at Simi Valley High. “I don’t have to think about all the hype and expectations and people wondering what I can do. I can focus on building chemistry with my receivers and continuing to grow in reading defenses.

“We had a great senior group last season that has graduated, including three receivers. We’ve got a lot of work to do this summer.”

The 6-foot-5 quarterback set state freshman records last season in throwing for 3,479 yards and 46 touchdowns.

Newbury Park finished 9-3, qualified for the CIF-Southern Section playoffs for the first time since 2016, and won its first postseason game since 2014.

He said he’s focused on first things first for the 2023 season.

“Not thinking about anything but winning league,” he said. “We lost two games to our closest rivals last year (Thousand Oaks and Camarillo) and we’ve got to play better this year.

“I’m not looking ahead to CIF-SS at all. There’s a long way to go and it starts with winning league.”

Smigiel is thrilled that favorite target Shane Rosenthal returns for two more seasons. As a sophomore a year ago, Rosenthal caught 89 passes for 1,334 yards and 15 TDs.

“Our chemistry is incredible,” Smigiel said. “I know what he’s thinking, and he knows what I’m thinking. He’s always going to be open.”

Smigiel might have posted killer numbers as a freshman, but he said improvement is a necessity.

“Stop throwing interceptions,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve got to cut way back.”

Smigiel finished with 11 interceptions last year, including three in his first eight pass attempts against vaunted rival Thousand Oaks that enabled the Lancers to build a 20-0 lead.

That disastrous start became a personal turning point for Smigiel. He rallied himself and the Panthers in throwing for 359 yards and two touchdowns before losing a thriller in overtime, 41-38.

“I let my teammates down with that start,” Smigiel said. “I went to the sidelines, pulled off my pads and accessories and told myself to settle down and play football.

“That game taught me a lot.”

Impact quarterbacks

Last season, Dominic Duran and Tagg Harrison shared the quarterback position as sophomores for the high-powered Pacifica High offense.

Now they’re focused on securing their own starting roles.

Duran is the clear-cut No. 1 for the Tritons after throwing for 1,215 yards and 14 touchdowns as a 10th-grader.

Harrison has transferred to Westlake High and is vying with Dominic Hunt for the starting job.

Harrison finished with 1,259 passing yards and 15 TDs a season ago.

Both looked sharp in leading their team in the county coaches 7 on 7 competition.

“It’s all good,” Duran said as the orchestrator of the Pacifica offense. “We’ve got so many great players on offense. All I have to do is get them the ball and let them take over.”

Pacifica’s weapons include running back Josh Joyner and wide receiver Savion Taylor.

Duran said he’s still learning his way at quarterback.

“It becomes about reading defenses and making sure I put the ball in the right hands when they’re open,” Duran said.

Harrison said it’s a homecoming in playing for the Warriors.

“I grew up in Westlake so it’s like being at home again,” he said. “I really like the coaches and the school, and my teammates have allowed me to fit right in. They’ve made me feel so welcome.”

Harrison is buoyed by the opportunities ahead.

“I love the chance to compete in the Marmonte League and all the great players,” he said. “There’s nothing better than competing against the best.”

Repeat for Seraphs

Shaun Torgeson, St. Bonaventure’s standout 6-5, 285-pound senior offensive tackle, passed up a chance to attend the prestigious UCLA camp on Saturday.

Instead, he chose to join his fellow linemen in participating in the hogs competition at Simi Valley High.

Mission accomplished.

Torgeson and his comrades excelled Saturday, including winning the ballyhooed tug-of-war event for the second consecutive year in the county tournament.

“It’s so much fun, and so hard,” Torgeson said. “My hands are burning but it’s all worth it.”

Torgeson said winning the tug-of-war is as much mental as it is physical.

“We wanted it more, and that was the difference,” he said.

Jack Sloniker, a beefy 6-4, 330-pound senior was the anchor, and Mason Badgett, Edgar Jovel and Moises Santiago were the other heavy lifters for the Seraphs.”

Setting the tone

A number of new coaches were directing their teams Saturday, including Nathan Anderson of Camarillo and Jake Goosen-Brown of Hueneme.

It all begins with step one, they said.

“We start by working hard and building a culture where everyone buys in and falls in line into what we want to do,” said Goosen-Brown. “A day like this is great because we’re getting reps and starting to build some continuity.”

Anderson had been a key assistant on Jack Willard’s staff and now takes over as Camarillo’s head coach.

“Really, there’s not much to change or to tweak,” Anderson said. “These players have been successful and it’s our job to continue to work hard and put our players in positions to succeed.”