By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
Every season presents its own unique challenges and one of the biggest ones facing the Palisades High junior varsity football team this fall is inexperience.
The Dolphins have only three starters returning and two of them will line up in new positions, so head coach Ray Marsden knows his boys have their work cut out for them if they want to win their league.
“I’m hesitant to set unrealistic goals right now,” Marsden said. “We have 57 kids, which is about the same as last year, but we have a ton of new guys. I’m pretty happy with the line, we have enough coming back who know the sysetm, but we have some holes and the core guys are goijng to have to play both ways.
The returning starters are center Pedram Zamanpour, left guard Joe Huff and fullback/linebacker Will Clifford. Adam Cravens will be the fullback and three sophomores (Tayari Gloster, Kalaan Day and Jared La Violette, each of whom saw action last year, will rotate at tailback.
Four newcomers will bolster the defense: ends Immanuel Newell and Malachi Gregory and cornerbacks Alec Barron and Chandler Hooks. Palisades will have two varsity-caliber kickers in Tommy Meek and Sebastian Conway-Burt and taking over at quarterback is Nick Ghysels, who ran the scout team last year, although he’ll be pushed by ninth-graders Forrest Brock and Sloan Senofsky.
“Every game this year will be close, defensive battle–I don’t see any blowouts,” Marsden predicted. “We’re not taking anyone lightly, that’s for sure. We have two dates circled as revenge games–at Granada Hills and Fairfax–and the Western League is always tough.”
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