Bragging Rights

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Pride was at stake when Palisades High hosted Brentwood in the fourth Sunset Showdown last Friday night at Stadium by the Sea.   

“We want to win it and make it three out of four,” Dolphins captain Savyour Riley said before kickoff.  “That’s what rivalries are about!”

However, the visiting Eagles had just as much incentive to win after being blown out on their home field  the year before, 42-24.

“This is a big game for both sides,” Brentwood freshman defensive back and Palisadian Owen Gutierrez confessed. “This will be my first time playing in it so I look forward to it.”   

When quarterback Boone Lourd  took a knee to run the last seconds off the scoreboard clock the visitors congratulated each other at midfield after a 28-21 victory that evened the series at two wins apiece and gave the Eagles bragging rights for the first time since the inaugural game in 2018 when they rallied for two touchdowns in the final minutes to prevail 14-13. This time, they had to hold on for dear life as Palisades nearly pulled off an epic comeback in the last 12 minutes.

“We dug ourselves too big a hole,” Pali High head coach Chris Hyduke said. “We didn’t do much in the first half but we showed character in the second half. We’re still learning.”

Having won four of its first five games behind the quick feet and accurate arm of Lourd, Brentwood  broke the ice after Palisades failed to convert on fourth-and-short on its opening drive, giving the Eagles the ball in Dolphins territory. Lourd connected with receiver Dylan Karz on a four-yard pass Jake Cabral ran for a two-yard touchdown to cap the next drive late in the first quarter.   

Brentwood recovered a fumble  inside the Palisades 20 and Lourd made the Dolphins pay with a 15-yard strike to receiver MJ Coleman with 10 seconds left in the first half and the Dolphins trudged to their locker room stunned, down 21-0.

“We’re going to find out what this team’s made of,” line coach Johnny Garcia said. He was right—and the  boys in black jerseys with blue numbers showed there is no quit in them.   

Lourd threw his third touchdown pass to a sliding Davis Wong in the end zone to extend the Eagles’ lead to four touchdowns and it appeared the game was out of reach.

Not so fast.

Receiver Marcus Brown Jr. caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Roman La Scala with a second left in the third quarter and the Dolphins had their first points since the third quarter of the previous week’s game at Cleveland, which Palisades lost.      

It took one dazzling special teams play to shift the momentum to the Dolphins’ sideline. Speedster Amari Yolas stepped out of the way of a rolling punt to let two Brentwood players down it but in a split second, to their surprise, he scooped up the ball and took off down the sideline for a 77-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter that gave the hometown fans hope.    

“I saw they weren’t expecting me to make a return on it,” Yolas said.  “They kind of hesitated so I grabbed it and ran!”   

Trailing by 14 points, Palisades attempted an onside kick but it was unsuccessful. Brentwood drove from its own 48 to the Palisades 8-yard line, but missed a 25-yard field goal.   

La Scala, who had alternated possessions at quarterback with fellow junior Zachary Lifton for the first four games, played the whole game and began to find his rhythm as the night progressed. His short passes moved the Dolphins from their own 20 to inside the Brentwood 10 and with 31 seconds to go he found Sean Grier in the back of the end zone for a touchdown that pulled his team within 28-21.

Everyone in the stadium knew what was coming next: another onside kick. This time, Kellan Ford  squibbed the ball past the Eagles’ first line of defenders but Karz fell on it at midfield before the Dolphins could lay a hand on him and one kneel-down later the issue was decided. Palisades suffered its second straight defeat despite an efficient game from La Scala, who completed 20 of 29 passes for 229 yards and  two touchdowns—including a 68-yard bomb to Braydon Sanford that set up the Dolphins’ first score.

Sanford caught five passes for 100 yards, Grier had four receptions for  43 yards and King-Haagen added three catches for 40 yards.   

One reason Brentwood was able to win was its ability to contain Pali High tailback Chris Washington, who was held to a season-low 28 yards in 12 carries. He was actually more effective as a receiver out of the backfield, catching four passes for another 28 yards.

“I was surprised that we ran it as well as we did,” said Brentwood coach Jake Ford, whose team racked up 181 yards on the ground—119 of those on the legs of Cabral, who slithered through small openings to average 5.4 yards per carry. “I knew we’d have to run some to keep them honest and give Boone more time. We have two important games coming up but the kids were really pumped up for this one.”

Yolas led the Palisades defense with 10 tackles, Eric Daniels had seven while Jesse Ettus, Jake Treibatch and Nathan Spoonamore each addded six. Joe Bagley had 12 and Frank Lewis Jr. added eight for the Eagles, who got fumble recoveries from juniors Tory Hampton, Sam Stern and Viggo Zeitlian.

Brentwood, a small private school six miles up the road from Palisades, started off as an eight-man program but has grown into a respectable 11-man squad in the Southern Section. Over the years the Eagles have had many local players and 2022 is no exception. Five members of this year’s squad hail from the Palisades: Gutierrez, sophomore receiver Gavin Rifkin, junior offensive guard Lucas Golling and freshmen defensive tackles Brady Schwarz and Jack Kripke.

With Western League play looming, Palisades (3-2) must shake off the loss quickly. The Dolphins travel to University tomorrow night.

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