PANTHERS ROLL; CZERNEK AND CO. TOO MUCH FOR AGOURA : NEWBURY PARK 29, AGOURA 19.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer

Trying to contain the Newbury Park offense is a lot like holding a fist full of sand. You think you've got a pretty good grip, but the harder you hold on, the more it just slips through your fingers.

That was the feeling Agoura must have had Friday night in a 29-19 Marmonte League loss to the No. 1-ranked Panthers.

Every time the Chargers had Newbury Park cornered or backed up, the Panthers (7-0, 4-0) just reached into their bag of tricks and came up with another big play.

The trigger man for the Panthers is quarterback Nick Czernek, who picked apart the Chargers for 389 yards passing and three touchdowns.

Czernek's most-important touchdown was a 65-yarder to Jake Farrel with 20 seconds left in the first half, giving Newbury Park a 19-12 lead. Farrel had 13 catches for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Farrel's catch-and-run was the decisive answer to an Agoura (5-2, 3-1) touchdown two plays before that cut the lead to 13-12 with 48 seconds left in the second quarter.

``That was huge because it meant we wouldn't go into halftime with our heads hanging,'' Czernek said. ``It got us pumped and we carried that into the second half.''

That sort of play is no surprise to Newbury Park coach George Hurley, who designed the Panthers' high-powered offense with such situations in mind.

``That's what this offense is supposed to do,'' Hurley said.

The Panthers' win begins an important stretch for Newbury Park, which plays playoff contenders Royal, Westlake and Thousand Oaks to finish the year.

The Panthers took control of the game in the second half on a 24-yard field goal by Shad Agel and 1-yard touchdown run by Mike Simo to take a 29-12 lead.

Agoura was without starting quarterback Ryan McCann for the second straight game. McCann, one of the most sought-after quarterbacks in the nation, separated his left (throwing) shoulder two weeks ago against Royal. His absence severely limits Agoura's offensive choices, although second-stringer Marcus Helfman played an admirable game.

Without McCann last week, the Chargers relied exclusively on the running of Chris Poling in a 28-10 win over Camarillo. Poling responded with a 214-yard, four-touchdown performance in that game. Helfman managed only nine yards passing.

Chargers coach Charlie Wegher cautioned that another non-existent passing game would likely render the running attack useless against Newbury Park - figuring the Panthers would simply load up against the run.

That's exactly what happened as Poling ran for just 18 yards.

Helfman tried to pick up the slack, completing 9 of 17 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown in the first half. But he suffered through a poor second-half start, throwing two straight interceptions at one point before rebounding with a strong finish. On the night, Helfman completed 14 of 26 for 179 yards and a touchdown.

The problem is that Helfman is the best tight end in the area. By moving him to quarterback to replace McCann, the Chargers lose out on two of the best players in the league.

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PHOTO Aaron Pruter of Agoura can't pull down a long pass during the first half.

Gene Blevins / Special to the Daily News