Dolphins Put It All on Line

The challenge facing Palisades High Head Coach Kelly Loftus this season is how to replace a 2,000-yard passer and a 1,000-yard rusher. Quarterback Conner Preston unexpectedly transferred to Gardena Serra in the spring and top running back Khalid Stevens graduated. Stepping in to start at those positions will be Preon Morgan and Malcolm Creer. Morgan can throw a spiral 65 yards, however his biggest asset is his mobility, which he will need in the Dolphins’ option offense. Creer leads a talented but inexperienced stable of backs that includes Sam Robertson and Joe Brandon. “It’s all about the line of scrimmage,” said Loftus, who celebrated his 52nd birthday on Saturday. “We only have a handful of varsity starters returning so some guys are going to play both offense and defense. I think our defense will be better but they’re going to have to work as a unit. On offense we’ll go with a spread formation, establish the run and see if we can break some long pass plays.” Morgan, Creer and Brandon return along with kicker/punter Alex Anastasi, receiver Eddie Tiburcio linemen Juan Climaco, Devyn Reyes William Goldberg and Chris Walker, receiver/defensive back Lawrence Villasenor, fullback/defensive end Bladimir Martinez and linebacker Casey Jordan. Moving up from JV are receivers Kevin Mann and Ben Ingram, younger brother of former Pali receiver Gerald Ingram. Backing up Morgan at quarterback will be Brandon Sanett, a junior transfer from Verdugo Hills. “I played receiver a lot last year so I know exactly where I need to throw it,” Morgan said. “I like being out there every chance I get and I’ll do whatever the specific situation calls for.” Despite the graduation of receivers Loren Artis, Tanqueray Towns and Joe Hyman and the transfer of tight end Deandre Nelson and receiver Tyquion Ballard, Palisades hopes to rebound from a disappointing finish in 2008 when they wound up 5-5 and missed the playoffs. “I think we’re gong to be very well balanced on offense,” Morgan said. “I can throw it short, curls and drags, or long with streaks and posts. And if the pocket breaks down I’m not afraid to take off and run. However, I’ll always look to pass first.” Special teams could be one of Palisades’ strongpoints–particularly placekicking. Loftus said Anastasi has been booting 35-yard field goals consistently in practice and his kickoffs carry between the 10- and 5-yard lines. Not only will the Dolphins look different on the field, but also on the sidelines. Kris Hawkes will take over as offensive coordinator. New P.E. teacher Perry Jones is the defensive coordinator; Jamal and Chris Rhodes will handle the offensive line and former UCLA player Kyle Morgan will coach the defensive line. Ray Marsden, head of PaliHi’s softball program, will coach the junior varsity along with Rocky Montz and Bill Jacobson. “I’ve been working on my quickness and I think that’s going to pay off once the season starts,” said Creer, who will play defensive back and safety on defense. “I learned a lot from Khalid [Stevens] last year. He taught me how to get ready, how to focus before a game and how to be mentally tough.” Palisades’ success this year might come down to whether or not the Dolphins can stay healthy. Only 75-80 players (combined JV and varsity) are in the program and the varsity team is wafer thin at several key positions. “We should be fine as long as we don’t have any season-ending injuries to our starters,” varsity assistant coach Al Heath said. “Last time I checked, MaxPreps (a national online ranking service) had us rated eighth in Division II. If we play well and keep everyone on the field I think we can end up higher but that should get us in the playoffs.” Jordan, who switches to linebacker after playing on the defensive line last year, is looking forward to wreaking havoc in opposing backfields this fall. Despite its youth he said the defense will not take a conservative approach: “I think our strength is our line and we’re going to hit hard and get after the quarterback.” How good can the Dolphins be? “As good as we want to be,” said Jordan, a 6-3, 210-lb. senior. “You get out what you put in and we’ve been putting in a lot. If we want to win bad enough, we can do it.” Echoing that sentiment was Climaco (5-11, 210), who also played defensive line last year but will switch to offensive guard and defensive end. He is one of the “Three Amigos,” along with Reyes (5-10, 260) at center and Goldberg (6-4, 270) at tackle. “We have low in numbers and player for player we maybe not as talented as last year but we are like a family and if we play together, the sky’s the limit with this team,” Climaco said. “Coach Rhodes is very technical and has helped improve our footwork and stance. I’m sick of hitting people in blue. I’ve been doing it for almost a month now. It makes my mouth water knowing we’re going to line up against different colored jerseys.” The season kicks off next Friday night at Hollywood High but the Dolphins have a dress rehearsal at 3 p.m. Friday in the form of a 30-play scrimmage at Washington High. The schools played a practice game last year too and tied 21-21. Hawkes said players have to compete for their jobs every day in practice and is looking forward to seeing how his offense performs in a game situation: “If teams stack the box on us we’re not afraid to put it in the air. We have a couple of key guys in skill positions who are good in space so we’ll try to get them the ball as much as we can.” Unlike last year when Loftus put his team in Division I, he opted for the City Section’s Division II playoffs this time, meaning that if the Dolphins duplicate last season’s record they will likely earn their first postseason berth in three years. “I just want us to make the playoffs,” Loftus said. “Playing in the lower division gives us a very realistic chance. Put it this way, I’ll be disappointed if we don’t.” Palisades’ schedule is not easy, but what figure to be the three toughest Western League games (against Venice, Westchester and Hamilton) are all at home. “Last year at this time we were still shuffling coaches around so I think we’ll be better prepared in terms of our gameplan,” Loftus said. “We’ve been conditioning these kids since day one so they should be in great shape and they’re going to have to be. The key will be to keep things simple. Thirty or 40 plays and make sure we execute each of them well.” 2009 PALIHI FOOTBALL SCHEDULE September 11 JV @ Hollywood, 4 p.m. V @ Hollywood, 7 p.m. September 17 JV @ Santa Monica, 3 p.m. September 18 V @ Santa Monica, 7 p.m. (at Santa Monica College) September 25 JV vs. Lynwood, 4 p.m. V vs. Lynwood, 7 p.m. October 2 JV @ Granada Hills, 4 p.m. V @ Granada Hills, 7 p.m. October 9 JV @ Franklin, 4 p.m. V @ Franklin, 7 p.m. October 16 JV vs. Westchester, 4 p.m. V vs. Westchester, 7 p.m. October 23 JV vs. Venice, 4 p.m. V vs. Venice, 7 p.m. October 29 JV @ University, 3 p.m. October 30 V @ University, 3 p.m. November 6 JV vs. Hamilton, 4 p.m. V vs. Hamilton, 7 p.m. November 13 JV @ Fairfax, 4 p.m. V @ Fairfax, 7 p.m.