Ali Riley continues to make her marks in the world’s most popular sport, taking her game to new heights on both the collegiate and international levels. First she was invited to play wing for New Zealand’s women’s soccer team at the Beijing Olympics, where she tallied two assists in a 2-2 draw with Japan. She showed her versatility a month later when she moved from forward to defense and led Stanford to a 22-2-1 record and a trip to the NCAA Final Four. Ali wasn’t the only Palisadian making headlines on the pitch in 2008. So was her “little sister” Amanda Lisberger, who became Brentwood School’s all-time scoring leader and led her Eagles’ club squad to its second state title in a row. She was also named MVP of the Soccer Coaches Association Senior All-Star game in March. The Pali Blues treated local fans to top-notch soccer this summer and no players exemplified the Blues’ skill and determination more than team captain Kendall Fletcher and defender Amy LePeilbet, who netted the decisive goal in the W-League finals against FC Indiana. Then there’s Lizzy Danhakl, who led Williams College to a 19-1-1 record and a berth in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III tournament. And we can’t forget Maddie Lenard, who led Harvard-Westlake High to a Mission League title then played for Real SoCal against Mexico’s U17 national team. At the youth level, no team advanced further in 2008 than the Ninjas, a U14 girls AYSO team, led by Sahar Bardi, Katie van Daalen Wetters and Jamie Greenberg. The Ninjas advanced to the finals of the State Cup in April. For years the Palisades Tennis Center been the training ground for many of the top junior players in the nation but in 2008 the talent on the public courts off Alma Real was off the charts. It’s no surprise that four of the PTC’s rising stars are sons of its owner and founder. Yes, the Bellamy brothers–Robbie, Roscoe, Lucas and Lincoln–all climbed the rankings in their respective age divisions by winning multiple tournaments. The oldest, Robbie, won the 14s singles title of the PTC Junior Open, then partnered with fellow Palisadian Alex Giannini to win the 14s and 16s doubles divisions. Roscoe, meanwhile, won the 8s singles crown in Palm Springs in February while Lucas made the Dudley Cup finals and six-year-old Lincoln won the 8s Novice Division at the Santa Monica Open. That was just the tip of the iceberg, however, when it came to PTC players excelling in local and national events. For instance, Ben Goldberg reached the finals of the Matador Tournament in September; Brandon Michaels didn’t drop a set on his way to the 12s title at the PTC Junior Open; Jake and R.J. Sands both won back-to-back singles titles in August; and Cristobal Rivera winning the PTC Junior Open 16s crown. Walker Kehrer, one of the top 18-and-unders in the country, signed to play at Stanford after leading Brentwood School to the CIF title in May and younger sibling Will won his first singles title in Ventura County in March. Caroline Vincent, a third-grader at Calvary Christian, took home four first-place trophies and one second-place trophy in a three-month span. Tennis, however, is not only for the young. Barbara Leonard captained Riviera to the A-1 Division title in the Westside Ladies League, then paired with her husband John to win the bronze ball in the combined 140 age division at the Hardcourt Husband and Wife Championships in August. And in another racquet sport, ageless wonder Lee Calvert continues to dominate senior international competitions in badminton. Palisades High got a new track at Stadium by the Sea and local runners took to it immediately. Among the Dolphins who benefited the most was Carlos Bustamante, who finished third in the 1600 meters at the City track finals in May and placed sixth in the cross country finals in November, qualifying for the state meet on both occasions. Tuekeha Huntley medaled in three events at the City track finals, winning the girls’ varsity high jump, placing fifth in the 300 hurdles and anchoring the 4 x 400 relay. Stanford senior Alexa Merz competed in her first triathlon and finished 18th in the women’s undergraduate division. On the baseball diamond, no one was more dominant in 2008 than flame-thrower Kevin Carswell, who pitched and slugged Pali Blue to a perfect record on its way to the PPBA Pony Division title. Nick Rivera’s walk-off home run was the defining moment of the Bronco Dodgers’ championship season. Vince DeSantis clouted several decisive homers in both the PPBA and All-Star seasons. Palisades High won another Western League title, this time under new coach Mike Voelkel, led by All-City first-team pitcher Jonathan Moscot and second-team catcher Garrett Champion. Moscot’s brother Jed and fellow pitcher Sam Cohen (who hit four home runs) led West L.A.’s 11-year-old Little League All-Stars to the District title. Cami Chapus was a mighty mite at the plate and in the field and Jackie Carr was a strikeout machine in the pitchers’ circle for St. Matthew’s, which won its fifth Basin League softball championship in May. When it comes to volleyball, few communities in Southern California can boast of as many standout prep players as Pacific Palisades and 2008 was no exception. On the boys’ side, Scott Vegas earned City MVP and Post Cup honors after leading Palisades High to its first section championship in 10 years. Then there’s Loyola’s standout Brian Scilacci and the “Super Six” from Oaks Christian–Shaun Powers, Blake Fol, Paul Peterson, Dalton Gerlach, Oliver MacPherson and Charlie Caldwell–who powered the Lions to their fourth Southern Section title in a row. Not to be outdone were a gaggle of talented spiker girls like Marymount’s Jenna Scilacci and Harvard-Westlake’s Meg Norton, who had stellar seasons. Captain Laura Goldsmith led Palisades High to a repeat of the City championship while Drew Hargrave spiked Brentwood to a Southern Section title. On the collegiate level, Penn sophomore Madison Wojciechowski made the All-Ivy League second team and Princeton freshman Cathryn Quinn made honorable mention. Don’t be surprised to see several Palisadians in the NFL within a few years. Already on the brink is former Post Cup winner Geoff Schwartz, who was a three-sport star at Palisades High before going on to play offensive tackle at Oregon. Now he’s on the Carolina Panthers’ practice team, one phone call away from his first pro football start. Younger brother Mitchell, a lineman at California, was just named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman team. Few NCAA placekickers were more accurate in 2008 than UCLA sophomore Kai Forbath, who made 19 of 22 field goals and 21 out of 22 extra points for the Bruins. Palisades High rebounded from a dismal 1-9 season the previous fall to win five games in 2008, thanks to Western League MVP Khalid Stevens, who rushed for over 1,000 yards, and sophomore quarterback Conner Preston, who threw for over 2,000 yards in his first full season as a starter. Another kid who knows what to do with the pigskin is John Lemoine, who captained the Santa Monica Rugby Club’s U14 squad to the Southern California Youth Championship in May. The upset of the year might be the Cowboys edging the Rams on the final play to capture the Palisades Recreation Center’s Bantam Division flag football championship, thanks to the heroics of quarterback Shane Skelly, running back Drew Daniele and receiver Kevin Mardirossian. Not surprisingly, water sports are among the most popular here in Pacific Palisades, which has its share of standout performers. Palisades High won its third straight City girls’ swimming title, thanks to the talents of Kristin Fuji, Haley Lemoine, Hayley Hacker and Jasmine Punch. The local YMCA produced numerous Junior Olympics medalists like Jennifer Tartavull, Allison Merz, Mardell Ramirez, Jimmy deMayo and Hunter Loncar. Nick Edel won the 100 individual medley and scored in three events for St. Matthew’s at the Junior Delphic League Championships in November. Jay Connolly, goalie and captain of the Harvard men’s water polo team, was named the Crimson’s MVP in December. Will Rogers Junior Lifeguards Tristan and Tiana Marsh and sisters Mara and Ana Silka excelled at the Taplin Relays. Highlands rower Anna Rasmussen helped Marina Aquatic Center to the Varsity Women’s 8 gold medal at the California Cup Challenge in March, then earned a silver medal in the quadruple sculls at the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships in June. The father-son sailing duo of Rich and Tony Festa had a magical year on the high seas, winning the Midwinter Regatta in February and the Pacific Coast Championship in July before jibbing 12th at the European Championships in September. On the basketball court, Palisades High center Dominique Scott was unstoppable in the Invitational girls’ playoffs. Senior Aaron-Hawk Harris was the scoring leader for the boys–one of Coach James Paleno’s best teams in years. At age 14, Jonathan Goldstein was the youngest player ever to start on America’s 16-and-under national team at the Pan American Maccabi Games, held in January in Buenos Aires. Baxter Humby continued his domination in kickboxing, defending his Muay Thai super welterweight title by unanimous decision in June, finishing first in his age group in the Palisades-Will Rogers 5K one week later, and defending his Muay Thai middleweight crown by knockout in November. Cyclist Tom Hill endured the 109-mile Mulholland Challenge in April and this time he had company in 17-year-old Palisades High student Sam Dubin, who was the youngest racer in the field. Hill pedaled to a seventh-place finish in the 45-50 age group and 25th overall in seven hours, 57 minutes. Just call Colette Rosenberg Riviera Country Club’s “Queen of the Links” after she shot a two-over-par in the final round to win the ladies’ club title in June by an astonishing 13 strokes. Her final round included three birdies and an eagle. In the summer she competed in the Women’s U.S. Amateur Championships. Eric Rosen and Riley Gitlin led the Palisades High boys’ lacrosse team while Sierra Centokowski, Molly Meek and Emma Carter paced the girls’ squad. In 2008, Paul Revere seventh-grader Jenny Schumacher attained the top ranking in Southern California for her age group in rock climbing. Competing for her Rock Warriors team, she qualified for the American Bouldering Series’ national competition in Colorado. In figure skating, sprites Grace Cohen and Wally Wennerberg continued to progress up the junior ladder while budding young gymnasts Taylor and Shelby Slutzker, Hayley McCormack, Jacqueline Vogel and Natasha Rothenberger did their part to put Broadway Gymnastics atop the Southern California standings. Brendan Ward also shined on the ice, though with a stick in his hand. The 10-year-old led the Junior Kings’ Squirt 97 team to the California Hockey Association championship in April. Fencer Caroline Merz, a sophomore at Princeton, excelled in the sabre bouts while Marymount High junior Madeline Amos won the gold medal in Women’s U19 epee at the U.S. Fencing Association’s Pacific Coast Championships on Mother’s Day.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
