“Five” on the Football Field

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

The fourth edition of the Sunset Showdown football game between Palisades High and Brentwood School takes place Friday evening at Stadium by the Sea and among the players suiting up for the Eagles will be five Palisadians: freshman cornerback Owen Gutierrez from the El Medio Bluffs; junior offensive guard/defensive end Lucas Golling from the Highlands; freshman offensive guard/defensive tackle Jack Kripke from the Huntington; freshman offensive guard/defensive tackle Brady Schwarz from the Highlands; and sophomore wide receiver/cornerback Gavin Rifkin from the Alphabet Streets.

All will be playing in the crosstown rivalry game for the first time and Gutierrez is looking forward to the challenge of playing a much bigger program. “I like my position because I like to guard people,” he said. “I like to hit and not be hit. Gutierrez, who is considering baseball or track in the spring, has played in four of Brentwood’s games  so far and has an interception to his credit. Last year he played with Augie Evans [who has since transferred to Palisades] on the middle school team. He began playing PPBA at the Field of Dreams in the Mustang Division when he was 10. Now he hopes he and his teammates can earn local bragging rights for a year. His goal is to keep his grades up so he can play football in college.

Brentwood won the inaugural game 14-13 in 2018 but Palisades has won the last two, including a 42-24 road triumph last year (there was no game in 2020). The Eagles (4-1) are flying high after a 41-0 shutout of Carpinteria last week while the Dolphins (3-1) will try to bounce back from their first loss.