Newbury Park suffers a crushing loss in the Division 1-AA bowl game

CHULA VISTA – Newbury Park record-setting receiver Shane Rosenthal wears bright gold gloves so his mother can recognize him on the field and rarely misses passes in his direction. With 62 touchdowns, 324 receptions and more than 5,100 yards in his career, Rosenthal’s only wish was that he was returning a possible interception on defense Friday night in a crushing 34-27 loss to San Diego Lincoln in the Division 1-AA bowl game would have .

Lincoln quarterback Akili Smith Jr., running from the 15-yard line on fourth-and-goal with his team trailing 27-21, threw the pass to the middle of the field. Rosenthal got his hands on the ball in the end zone, but it was deflected into the hands of Joshua Newbern for the game-winning touchdown with 2:21 left. Newbury Park’s Ryder Sheehan blocked an extra point attempt to preserve the score.

Then, with 21.2 seconds left, Smith completed a 14-yard pass to Courtney Miller-Thompson for the go-ahead score, giving Lincoln its first lead of a wild game. The win sends Lincoln (11-2) into next Friday’s 1-AA final against Pittsburg, a 28-27 victory over Folsom.

Rosenthal did everything he could in his final high school game, catching eight passes for 152 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Brady Smigiel, who was sacked six times in the first half, completed 11 of 25 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns while also running for a touchdown. Newbury Park finished the season 14-1.

Smith, who like his father signed to play at Oregon, came along well in the second half with seven consecutive completions and finished the game 18-for-29 for 272 yards and three touchdowns. He was fired four times.

In the end, Newbury Park’s four turnovers proved decisive. The Panthers lost three fumbles and also turned the ball over when a punt hit a Newbury Park player. The most costly mistake came on a poor handoff with 5:01 left, when the Panthers finally started to play the ball effectively and take their time to close out the game.

The first half was full of unusual events, starting with Lincoln receiving two 15-yard penalties for coming out of the locker room and taunting Newbury Park players. The teams combined for eight sacks. There were consecutive punts of one yard and four yards by Lincoln. There was a one-handed catch by Rosenthal.

San Diego Lincoln celebrates 34-27 victory over Newbury Park in the Division 1-AA regional final.

(Craig Weston)

Blake Bryce caught a 20-yard touchdown pass on Newbury Park’s first possession. Smith came back and fired a 40-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Grant to tie the game 7-7. The Panthers’ Drew Cofield made a spectacular diving catch in the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown. Smith tied it again with a 29-yard touchdown run that included a 15-yard penalty for spiking the ball. Smigiel scored on a two-yard run with 2.9 seconds left to give Newbury Park a 21-14 halftime lead.

Lincoln collected 11 penalties for 131 yards in the first half and finished the game with 16 penalties for 170 yards. The game ended at 11:41 a.m. and lasted 3 hours and 26 minutes.