LONG BEACH – Millikan football defeated the CIF Southern Section’s defending Division 2 champion, Newbury Park, for a 49-20 victory in a nonleague game Friday at Dehaven Stadium.
The buzz before the game surrounded Newbury Park quarterback Brady Smigiel, a Michigan commit, but Millikan quarterback Ashton Pannell stole the spotlight immediately.
Pannell completed his first three passes for three touchdowns and 201 yards.
He completed 10 of 12 passes for 322 yards and four passing touchdowns in the game.
He also added a rushing touchdown. Ryan Carter ran for 65 yards and a touchdown on eight touches. Jude Nelson caught four passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns.
Nelson added a fumble recovery and a sack on defense.
Pannell gave his receivers credit.
“I had a lot of confidence coming into the game we just executed, “Pannell said. “We had great practices during the week. I just put trust in my guys, Jay (Williams), Diamond (Graham Jr.), Jude (Nelson), Lando (Landon Ross), all my guys. That’s how you succeed as a quarterback, put trust in your receivers.”
Smigiel went 29 for 46 passing for 277 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
He also added a rushing touchdown. Devin Olmande hauled in 10 passes for 115 yards.
Demari McCullouch ran for 119 yards on 21 carries.
The Millikan offense was nearly perfect in the first half. The Rams took a 14-0 lead on a 77-yard touchdown connection from Pannell to Landon Ross and 35-yard touchdown run from Carter.
Newbury Park (0-1) woke up on its second possession. Smigiel marched the Panthers down the field and scored himself on a 4-yard QB keeper, cutting into Millikan’s lead 14-6 after a missed PAT.
Pannell needed only two more passes to rack up two more touchdowns, first to Graham for 65 yards then to Nelson for 59 yards.
Between Pannell’s quick strike touchdown passes, Smigiel found Jack Shepp for a 3-yard touchdown, but the Panthers missed a 2-point conversion attempt.
Millikan (2-0) led 28-12 in the second quarter.
Millikan’s defense came up big with 7:46 left in the half when Khyon Wilson leapt to intercept a Smigiel pass in the end zone.
That later allowed Pannell to increase Millikan’s lead again rushing for a 7-yard touchdown and a 34-12 lead after a missed PAT.
Newbury Park scored late in the third quarter on a 13-yard pass from Smigiel to Korbin Thomas to cut the Millikan lead to 34-20 after Thomas also caught a 2-point conversion from Smigiel with 1:12 left in the quarter.
Pannell converted another long touchdown pass with 9:46 left in the game, this time for 33 yards to Jay Williams for a 41-20 lead after a Sebastian Perez PAT.
Millikan scored on final time.
With Pannell sitting, backup quarterback Jonah Tuaniga threw a touchdown pass to Nelson for his second touchdown reception of the night and a 49-20 lead after another 2-point conversion.
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