Above the Rest

Daniel Anoh and Iris Berman Are Pali High’s Outstanding Senior Athletes

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

For Palisadian-Post Cup winners Daniel Anoh and Iris Berman, being recognized as this year’s most outstanding senior athletes at Palisades High School is icing on the cake, as they had no peers in their respective sports in 2021-22.

No one in a Dolphins uniform was more exciting to watch than Anoh, a 5-10, 172-pound tailback whose ability to outrun and outsmart opposing defenses played a major role in Palisades’ 14-game winning streak—the longest in program history. Blessed with a rare combination of breakaway speed and bullish strength, he was named Western League Player of the Year after amassing 1,276 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns in 10 regular season contests in the fall—the most yards on the ground by a Palisades player since Innocent Okoh set the school record with 1,579 in 2016. Anoh averaged a stunning 11.8 yards per carry and was a threat to score every time he touched the ball.

 Playoffs included, he totaled 134 carries for 1,419 yards (an average of  118.3 per game), returned kickoffs and added 17 catches for 197 yards for a team-high 1,644 all-purpose yards and 23 touchdowns.

“I started playing football in ninth grade,” said Anoh, who lives in Mid-Wilshire and attended Paul Revere Middle School. “I was introduced to the sport by a friend of mine who played Pop Warner. I came to Pali because most of my family was here—my brother and two of my cousins.”

Growing up, Anoh played soccer but no one is happier he switched to football than Dolphins head coach Chris Hyduke, who utilized Anoh in multiple ways and most appreciated how reliable his star running back was. Anoh fumbled one time (which he recovered) in two seasons on varsity.

“It was the perfect storm—Daniel’s explosive talent with the no huddle offense made for an exciting, unpredictable force,” Hyduke said. “To contain him was like embracing a tornado as he ran and spun away from the other team’s defense. It was almost as if our offense was created to showcase his many athletic skills. He was a great young man to coach and a pleasure to watch as he stormed down the field. He’s well-deserving of having his name on this trophy.”

Anoh, who won the Joe Spector Award as team MVP in December, is the fourth straight football player to claim Palisades’ oldest and most prestigious athletic honor, following multi-purpose back Brandon Forrest last year, linebacker Sy Riley in 2020 and receiver/safety Jake Nadley in 2019.

 “Winning the Post Cup feels great, because I’ve worked hard to be good at my sport,” says Anoh, whose older brother Matt played defensive end at Palisades and graduated last year. “It’s nice to get the recognition.”

 An All-City Open Division first-teamer, Anoh’s talents were on full display in the Dolphins’ annual “Sunset Showdown” at Brentwood, when he needed only 22 carries to break the school single-game rushing record with 292 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-24 victory.

“What I remember most about Pali football is my very first run in 10th  grade on JV. it went for about two yards,” he recalled. “I’m most proud of how far I’ve come these last four years. Syracuse has been my dream school for awhile. I always wanted to go there, so I was thrilled when I received a preferred walk-on spot. Valparaiso University in Indiana came on board much later, a coach reached out to me and I’ve been interested in them ever since. Playing for either one would be great! If I’m not playing football, I’m probably watching it. My life revolves around football 24/7. In the future I’d like to continue to play for as long as my body allows it. I want to be a starter at a D1 program in the next two to three years.”

Friends know him as “Hugo” and there is a reason: “Hugo is my dad’s name and mine but when my parents got divorced my mom changed it. I was in 7th grade and everyone was used to calling me Hugo, so it stuck.”

 As a junior he played in all four spring games, leading the team with 304 all-purpose yards and as a senior he and the Dolphins set a school record for points in a season and equaled the program mark for wins (11). They came within one win of their first City finals appearance since 1987.

Despite being slowed by a badly sprained ankle, Anoh scored to pull his team within 10 points of San Pedro late in a 33-17 season-ending defeat.   

If Anoh was a man among boys on the gridiron, Berman can best be described as a clinical psychologist between the white lines, demoralizing opponents with a repertoire designed to find their weakness and exploit it.

In her four years on the varsity tennis team, she racqueted the Dolphins to three City Open Division titles and became one of only a few girls in section annals to graduate with the coveted “triple crown” as a team, singles and doubles champion. Making her accomplishment all the more impressive is that, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic delaying the start of the fall 2020 season until the spring, she accomplished her rare feat in a span of only six months.   

“I started playing tennis at 6 years old and competing in tournaments at 10,” said Berman, a Mar Vista resident who was introduced to the sport by her dad Evan (he played at Venice High then the University of Illinois).

“Before Pali I attended Paul Revere Middle School. I chose Pali because I knew the tennis team had been very successful in past years and the sports programs were highly competitive in City. Growing up I played basketball, soccer, flag football, and baseball as well as tennis. I ended up choosing tennis because it challenged me physically and mentally and I also enjoyed strategizing and figuring out my opponent.”

In May of 2021, Berman led the Dolphins to the City team title over Granada Hills, then that June she won the Individual singles title without dropping a set. She and the Dolphins defended their City title in October and in November, their No. 1 player partnered with Reese Trepanier to win the Individual doubles title in dominating style—the first to win all three jewels of the triple crown since Granada Hills’ Sarah Nuno in 2013 and Palisades’ first since Birdie Gessford over three decades ago.

    “The Post Cup award means a lot to me because I’ve worked through a lot on the tennis court to get where I am today,” she said. “After being hurt for almost two years with a back injury and having to work my way back to a high level of tennis again, receiving this award is a great honor and it feels like all of my hard work and resilience has paid off.”

Berman’s longterm ambition is to be a psychologist: “I’ve always had a passion for mental health. I got to explore this path through my work as a listener at Teen Line, a crisis hotline for teenagers. It’s something I hope to continue to be able to do in the future.”

As a freshman, she helped the Dolphins win the team title but lost in the quarterfinals in singles. In her sophomore year Palisades fell short in the finals and injury forced her to withdraw from Individuals. She is the 11th tennis player to win the Post Cup and first since Krista Slocum in 2006.

“What I’ll remember most about my tennis career at Pali is the team travels to San Diego, not only because of the competitive matches during the tournament but also the team dinners and trips for ice cream. The time spent bonding with my teammates, driving them around, and playing tennis will always be really meaningful to me. I’m most proud of winning City Individuals in both singles and doubles because I spent most of my career playing singles so to have the chance to win doubles was amazing.”

Berman will continue playing at Emory University, an NCAA Division III school in Atlanta, Georgia.

“I chose Emory because it’s the perfect balance of tennis and academics,” Berman said. “When I visited I fell in love with the campus and I could immediately see myself there. I was also considering Claremont Mckenna, Wesleyan, and Washington University in St. Louis. However, I felt Emory’s academics, tennis team culture and coaches were the best fit.”

When she’s not whacking balls in practice, Berman is trying new foods. There are many restaurants near her house and she has been to them all.

Since taking over the girls program in the mid-1980s, Bud Kling has coached many elite players and Berman is certainly among them.

“She always had the best interest of the team and never gave up in a match,” Kling said. “She restructured her game as she progressed and is a great volleyer and doubles player.”