Newbury Park, CA — There were big plays, key mistakes, lost opportunities, clutch responses. All played under oh-so-rare rainy skies. What the Newbury Park High football team will most reap from its 31-21 victory over visiting St. Joseph on Friday night was one giant step forward in the learning process. Yes, the Panthers proved they could slug it out with a tough, physical opponent that never folded. "Exactly what we needed," said Brady Smigiel, the Panthers' standout freshman quarterback. "We needed to play a really tough team and prove to ourselves that we can handle adversity and still come out on top. "That's what we needed heading into league next week. We know every opponent is going to be a good team, and we have confidence that we can step up to any situation." Smigiel completed 27 of 38 pass attempts for 310 yards and three touchdowns while running for another score, Charlie Simmons notched nine receptions for 128 yards and a pair of scores, and Shane Rosenthal had nine catches for 85 yards as the Panthers improved to 4-0. It was Newbury Park's first true test of the season after plowing through three foes in three weeks, the last two by a combined score of 114-6. It also sets up the Panthers for the part of the schedule that really matters. Newbury Park will open play in the revamped Canyon League this Friday night when it takes on Royal. "We're playing with a lot of confidence," said Rosenthal, a sophomore two-way starter at wide receiver/safety. "We know we have a lot of work to do. We know there are lots of things we can clean up. But we believe we're getting better every week." Ditto, said Smigiel. "There are a lot of things we can get better at, and we're determined to do that every day in practice," said the son of first-year head coach Joe Smigiel. "But we also think when we execute the right way, we can't be stopped." Newbury Park learned it can dig down deep when under duress in holding off St. Joseph of Santa Maria. The Panthers fell behind 7-0 on the game's opening possession when Aaron Fierro burst free for a 53-yard scoring run. A 21-7 lead at halftime became 21-14 when St. Joseph recovered an onside kick to open the second half and turned it into a 21-yard scoring pass by quarterback Darian Mensah. Newbury Park's 24-14 lead shrank to 24-21 on Malakai Langley's 75-yard kickoff return with 7:17 still remaining in the third quarter. Smigiel, often under pressure from the physical St. Joseph defense, helped stake the Panthers to a 21-7 lead at halftime with touchdowns passes of 14 yards to Cade Falsken and 12 yards to Simmons. His 5-yard scoring run tallied 14 seconds before halftime upped the lead to 21-7. Newbury Park's most impressive march came with the lead trimmed to 24-21. Smigiel and Simmons hooked up on a 50-yard catch-and-run that set up the duo's 15-yard scoring pass play. The lead grew to 31-21 with 5:16 left in the third quarter. Smigiel completed passes to seven different receivers. He said that's a product of the Panthers offense. "St. Joseph had a good scheme, but we feel like we can adjust to whatever we see out there," said Smigiel. "We're getting matchups with linebackers that our guys are going to win every time. We have so many options on every play." "We've got guys going both ways, but we feel like the way we practice has us ready in games," said Rosenthal. "We work hard. We practice hard. That all pays off."