Dolphins Drop Charter Bowl

By Michael Seff Special to the Palisadian-Post Palisades High head football coach Perry Jones knows his team is battling, but the results have still yet to show. Friday night’s loss in the Charter Bowl at rival Granada Hills proved that there is still plenty of work to be done. The Dolphins fell to 0-4 in large part because they could not take care of the football, and the Highlanders (3-2) consistently cashed in on multiple Pali turnovers en route to a 27-6 victory. ‘Our kids fight hard, they’re doing there best, and somehow we’ve got to turn that into some success,’ Jones said afterwards. ‘They work really hard, and that’s why it’s so hard to get beat like this.’ The Dolphins had a difficult time defending the pass and Granada quarterback Joshua Szin threw only one incompletion on 18 attempts. But Pali hung tough in the first half, as senior fullback Mylz Blake broke free on a 35-yard option touchdown run to bring Palisades within 7-6 with 1:15 remaining in the second quarter. However, Szin immediately answered by lofting a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bryson Bowman to put the Highlanders up 14-6 at halftime. From there, Granada runners Brian Sanchez and Victor Rabago each scored second-half rushing touchdowns to cement the victory. Blake’s scoring scamper was one of several big plays the Dolphins manufactured on the ground. Chris Wilkins went 32 yards on a triple-option play late in the first half and late in the fourth, Ben Ingram broke free for a 25-yard gain. Ultimately, though, key scoring chances were thwarted by Palisades’ own undoing. ‘My concern isn’t so much with the offense, it’s with putting the ball on the ground,’ said Jones of the Pali turnovers. ‘You can’t run triple options and put the ball on the ground. That doesn’t work. That was a huge problem for us tonight and we’ve got to fix that.’ Palisades travels to Vista Murrieta (4-0) tomorrow at 7 p.m. The Broncos won at Crespi, 38-20, on September 30 and are regarded as one of the Top 10 teams in California. Vista Murrieta defeated Pali at home last season, 45-16. The Dolphins next home game is against Hamilton on October 21 at 7 p.m.