P.J. Hurst threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns and Desmond Box ran for 70 yards and one score, but in the end a turnover, a couple of blown coverages and several questionable calls came back to haunt the Palisades High varsity football team on Halloween at Hamilton High.
Clinging to a seven-point lead and facing third-and-seven at their own 47-yard line with under two minutes left it appeared the host Yankees would have to punt, but Kyshawn Richards broke several tackles to pick up a first down and Hamilton escaped with a 31-24 victory, dashing the Dolphins’ hopes of winning the Western League title.
“It’s frustrating for us but hats off to Hamilton, they earned it — they played hard,” Coach Tim Hyde said. “Yes there were a lot of penalties but we have to find a way to overcome those. Their athletes made some amazing plays.”
Hurst hit Herbert Acosta in stride down the right sideline for a 46-yard touchdown to pull the Dolphins within seven points with 2:15 remaining, but Hamilton recovered Ethan Erickson‘s onside kick and Palisades never got the ball back.
Acosta had five catches for 79 yards and tight end James Mann added two catches for 51 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown reception that tied the game 7-7 in the first quarter.
The Dolphins thought they had scored in the second quarter when Dhaamir Lomax hauled in a long pass from Hurst and raced for the end zone, but defensive back Jericho Flowers stripped him of the ball at the two-yard line and the Yankees recovered in the end zone for a touchback.
Still, a 30-yard field goal by Erickson tied it 10-10 just before halftime.
Anthonee Parker’s 61-yard touchdown catch from Armani Rogers gave Hamilton a 17-10 lead early in the third quarter. A bomb to Flowers set up Parker’s one-yard touchdown plunge and suddenly the Yankees were ahead 24-10.
Box scored from four yards out to narrow Palisades’ deficit to 24-17 late in the third quarter, but Rodgers snuck across the goal line on fourth-and-goal from inside the 1-yard line to stretch the Yankees’ lead to 31-17 early in the fourth quarter.
Hurst completed 11 of 21 passes but was sacked five times. Ryan Ashmore had a 53-yard catch and Quincy Cowherd had two catches for 24 yards.
Captain E.B. Odeh had 15 tackles (nine solo and six assisted) and a sack, Alec Simpson had 14, Mario Lofton added 11 and Eddie Burd had an interception for the Dolphins (5-4, 2-2), who close out the regular season at home Friday against Fairfax.
“We’re not going to win the league and we know that,” Hyde said. “So now the goal is to do one thing and one thing only — make the playoffs — and you don’t do that unless you beat Fairfax.”
Hamilton (6-3, 4-0) hosts defending champion Venice (4-5, 3-1) in its league finale and if the Yankees win they will clinch the title outright.
— Steve Galluzzo
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