Comets Streak Past Pali, 20-0

Still searching for its first win, the Palisades High varsity football team began the second half of its season on home turf last Friday night and was eager to give fans at Stadium by the Sea something to cheer about. Of course, that is easier said than done against an opponent like Westchester. For the third straight game, the Dolphins were able to move the ball in between the 20s but self-destructed inside the red zone. Penalties nullified two Palisades touchdowns and the Comets capitalized on a turnover early in the second half for the clinching score in a 20-0 Western League victory that left Dolphins’ Head Coach Kelly Loftus beside himself. “We had 11 or 12 first downs but we also had about 150 yards in penalties and it seemed like every time we made a big play it got called back,” Loftus said. “We were only down 7-0 at halftime and our goal was to stop their first drive, march down and tie the game. The plan started off great. We made them punt and we had a good series going, but that fumble changed everything.” Malcolm Creer, who finished with 68 yards in eight carries and had a game-tying 38-yard touchdown run negated on a holding infraction in the second quarter, was fighting for more yardage when the ball was jarred loose, scooped up by the Comets and returned for a touchdown. Westchester (4-2 overall, 1-0 in league) put the game away later in the third quarter on a 30-yard touchdown pass by quarterback Chris Gafford. Loftus was pleased with the running lanes opened by the offensive line, particularly seniors Juan Climaco and William Goldberg. He also appreciated the intensity of linebacker and captain Casey Jordan, who finished with a team-high 11 tackles. “Casey really grew up Friday night,” Loftus said. “He was all over the field, hitting hard but clean, and firing everyone up.” The bigger challenge for Loftus and his staff going forward will be finding ways to generate more offense. Palisades (0-6, 0-1) is averaging just 7.5 points per game and has reached double digits only once this season–a 28-21 loss to Granada Hills in Week 4. “We’re not going to abandon our offense, we’re going to keep doing what we do,” Loftus said. “Our running game is coming along. We only had three or four negative plays all night. But we have to stop being our own worst enemy out there.” Senior lineman Bladimir Martinez returned to practice this week and is expected to be ready for this Friday’s game against Venice, making the Dolphins’ roster the healthiest it has been since early September. Starting quarterback Preon Morgan completed 6 of 11 passes for 37 yards and rushed nine times for 25 yards. Back-up Branden Sanett engineered Palisades’ last two drives and completed 1 of 2 attempts for 10 yards. Creer caught four passes for 19 yards, Ben Ingram had two receptions for 18 yards and Aaron Ussery had one catch for 10 yards and recovered a fumble. Venice (6-0, 5-1) is the highest-ranked team on the Dolphins’ schedule. The Gondos are the defending league champions and have outscored Palisades 215-34 in their last five meetings. Jordan, however, is not letting recent history dampen his outlook. “Yeah, Venice is good but for us it’s all about improving each week,” he said. “Working hard in practice and getting better game after game.” Ussery and sophomore linebacker Max Smith had eight tackles apiece against Westchester, while Juan Climaco and Ryan Harris each had six, Goldberg added five and Lawrence Villasenor, Jeremy Smith, Devyn Reyes, Marquice Shokir and Hakeem Jawanza each had four tackles. Venice shares one common opponent with Palisades. The Gondos beat Santa Monica, 31-28, one week after Santa Monica blanked the Dolphins, 35-0. The Gondos’ only loss came at the hands of nationally-ranked Oaks Christian, which boasts Nick Montana (son of NFL Hall-of-Famer Joe Montana) at quarterback. Loftus believes the Western League is stronger as a whole but Venice is still the clear favorite. “They are well-coached and they have a ton of good athletes,” he said. “This will be the ultimate challenge for us. We can’t make the mistakes we’ve been making and expect to win.” Palisades likely needs to win three of its last four games to make the City’s Division II playoffs. The Dolphins chose to compete in the higher division (Division I) last year, finished 5-5 and failed to qualify for the postseason. Palisades last qualified for the playoffs in 2006–their final year under previous coach Leo Castro–when they lost to L.A. Marshall in the first round of the City Invitational playoffs.