The Thousand Oaks Lancers were defeated by unrelenting Newbury Park Defense, 38-0.

With one last opportunity to put up points in the fourth quarter, less than 7 minutes remaining. The Lancers went into full pass protection, seven blockers and Newbury Park blitzed six. Junior quarterback Jackson Taylor drops back and gets sacked to turn it over on downs.

Junior quarterback Brady Smigel, who committed to Florida State before the season, broke the record for most career passing yards in Ventura County against the Lancers. A record that stood for two decades.

In a game where the Lancers hoped to knock off the 16th-ranked team in California, they found themselves in a 28-0 hole after the first half.

Senior wide receiver Kayin Booker committed to Portland State before this week and wanted to show his value on the Vikings roster next fall; opening the game with a rushing touchdown, taking down two Lancers in the process.

Coach Ben McEnroe knew the highly touted Panther’s offense would be hard to overcome, so he went for a fourth and long outside of the red zone, the first of six fourth downs the Lancers would attempt.

The Lancers only converted two.

“We couldn’t close out drives, we were inside the 30, 3 or 4 times in the first half and came away with nothing,” head coach Ben McEnroe said.

The inability to produce on offense was key to the Lancer’s loss. Four turnovers on downs, two fumbles to the defense and a blocked punt for a safety summed up the offensive struggles.

The obvious game plan is to turn things around by focusing on offensive consistency and eliminating turnovers—essentially getting back to the basics. The Lancers have shown flashes of potential throughout the season, but a lack of execution has repeatedly hindered their ability to capitalize on key opportunities.

The Lancers play Santa Barabara Dons in their final game of the season on Friday, October 28 at 7 pm at home. This is must win game to clinch playoffs or hope for a spot through a wildcard.