Palisades High football coach Tim Hyde walked out of the City Section seeding meeting Saturday morning with a smile on his face after learning his team not only made the Division I playoffs but is seeded ninth − higher than he expected.
The Dolphins travel to eighth- seeded Arleta for a first-round game tomorrow and Hyde is familiar with the Mustangs because Palisades played them in a seven-on-seven tournament back in the spring.
“The ultimate goal at the end of the season is to be one of the top 16,” Hyde said. “We knew we weren’t going to get a home game but we’re excited to go play Arleta. They have a lot of skill on offense, they are disciplined on defense and they are well-coached.”
City rules allow teams to play first-round games in the afternoon and since Arleta’s field doesn’t have lights a 2 p.m. kickoff is scheduled.
If Palisades gets past Arleta it will likely face top-seeded San Pedro in the quarterfinals. The Pirates (9-1) finished in a three-way tie with Carson and Narbonne atop the Marine League but got the nod for No. 1 based on record.
East Valley League winner Arleta is 9-1 under new coach Bill Coan and its only loss was a 27-25 setback at Roosevelt in Week 3.
Here are Friday’s match ups:
#16 Roosevelt at #1 San Pedro
#9 Palisades at #8 Arleta, 2 p.m.
#12 Venice at #5 Crenshaw
#13 Taft at #4 Carson
#14 South East at #3 Narbonne
#11 Canoga Park at #6 Dorsey
#10 Banning at #7 Birmingham
#15 El Camino Real at #2 Garfield
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