When leading rusher Innocent Okoh was moved up to varsity for the start of league play, the question for the Palisades High JV football team was who would fill his shoes.
In last Friday’s homecoming game against University, sophomore tailback Nathan Grzesiak answered the call, rushing for 65 yards and two touchdowns in 10 carries and leading the Dolphins to a 28-6 victory.
Photo: Steve Galluzzo
Palisades (6-2, 2-1) scored on its first four possessions to avenge its 35-16 loss last year.
“We had 11 offensive plays in the first half and scored four touchdowns,” Pali High quarterback Jonah Manheim said. “Our gameplan every week is to run it down their throat and use the play-action pass and that’s what worked. I’m happy because we are the appetizer for the big dinner and the appetizer is very important and very delicious.”
The Dolphins needed only three plays to go 49 yards on their firstdrive, ending with Grzesiak’s 12-yard touchdown run. The Wildcats took four plays to answer, but the two-point conversion failed, leaving them behind by one point.
Palisades was back up by a touchdown 13 seconds later. That’s how long it took Kaelynn Lamothe to catch the ensuing kickoff, elude the first wave of pursuers, cut back to the sideline and sprint 75 yards to the end zone.
The Dolphins struck again late in the first quarter when Manheim found receiver Pierre Kaku for a 34-yard gain, setting up fullback Stone Maderer’s six-yard touchdown run to make it 20-6.
Grzesiak ran 27 yards for another touchdown to break the game open and Manheim hit Jason Frazier in stride on a slant pass for the two-point conversion to stretch the lead to 28-6 early in the the second quarter.
“We came into this game knowing we had to step up,” Kaku said. “Every game we come ready to win. You never know when you’re number will be called.”
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