Okoh Runs for Three Scores in Win

The opening drive told the whole story of the Palisades High junior varsity football team’s 44-14 blowout over Granada Hills last Friday afternoon at Stadium by the Sea.

Innocent Okoh ran the ball, then he ran it some more and 98 yards later he found himself in the end zone for the first of his three rushing touchdowns against a bewildered band of Highlanders.

“That took Granada’s confidence down — they couldn’t do anything after that — so it was a good way of starting off the game,” said Okoh, who also  had a two-point conversion run. “Coach is always saying ‘Follow your blocks’ and that’s what I did.”

Palisades (3-1) opened the game with 30 unanswered points, scoring four touchdowns in the second quarter and bolting to a 38-7 lead at intermission.

Quarterback Jonah Manheim ran for a touchdown, threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jonathan Melendez and, following a blocked field goal, connected with Brandon Castro on a 74-yard scoring play eight seconds before halftime. Castro caught a two-point conversion pass and Pierre Kaku also scored two points on a reverse.

After the Dolphins recovered a fumble on the second-half kickoff, Okoh scored the game’s final touchdown on a 10-yard run. He sat out the fourth quarter along with the other starters, but not before his all-too-familiar trifecta.

Okoh has run for 10 touchdowns in four games, including three in each of Palisades’ wins — which has impressed not only his teammates and JV Coach Ray Marsden, but varsity coach Tim Hyde too.

“We started that first possession with two incomplete passes and it was all Innocent after that,” Marsden said. “He and [fellow running back] Stone Maderer are a great combination. When you’re gaining six or seven yards every play you might as well keep doing it until they stop you. Our practices haven’t been great, but I’m super proud of the effort.”

Manheim is looking forward to today’s matchup against Harvard-Westlake after a subpar performance against the Wolverines as a freshman last year.

“This is a redemption game for me,” Manheim said. “I didn’t play too well against them the last time but this year I’m way more developed, so I’m hoping to do better.”