JV Lacrosse Wins City Title

Lacrosse at Palisades High has grown in leaps and bounds the last few seasons and not just at the varsity level. A testament to the overall strength of the program was the junior varsity boys’ performance in the City Section Tournament last Saturday at Birmingham High. The Dolphins’ JV accomplished the remarkable feat of winning the City varsity title to cap an undefeated season and serve notice that Palisades could be the team to beat for many years to come. Palisades’ varsity team earned a berth in the tougher Southern Section playoffs, thus leaving the chore of defending the City title to the JV. No problem. Led by standout freshman attacker Daniel Gurvis, sophomore attackers Luke Rivera and Ryan Angelich, freshman midfielders Blake Bryant and Jack Jordan, sophomore midfielder Hunter Venturelli and freshman defenders Chris Groel and Spencer Sawaii, Palisades blanked L.A. Jordan, 14-0, in the semifinals. Then, in the finals, the Dolphins outscored host Birmingham, 13-8, to finish with 17 wins (most by lopsided margins) and zero losses. “This was a landmark year for the entire program,” said Rick Groel, who coached the JV along with Gus Campos. “I like coaching the JV because winning is not our only priority. Our goal is to get the kids ready for varsity and that means teaching fundamentals and making sure they learn how to play the game properly.” Rounding out the squad were sophomore midfielder Jack Gelber, freshman midfielder Dylan Coleman, freshman attacker Kyle Angelich, junior defender Roger Arauz, freshman midfielder Danny Bailey, sophomore defender Dylan Hellberg, sophomore midfielder Daniel Hernandez, freshman midfielder Nick Jaffe, sophomore midfielder Nick Kane, junior midfielder Julian New, freshman attacker Jack Wyman, sophomore midfielder Oliver Scott, junior goalie Bryan Maclean and freshman goalie Josh Roback. “These guys had a great year and, more importantly, each of them improved over the course of the season,” Groel said. “That’s what it’s all about to me–seeing them get better. With just a handful of seniors graduating, next year is looking pretty good too.” Just how dominant was Palisades’ JV team? Including the playoffs, the Dolphins posted seven shutouts and outscored their opposition by a staggering 230 to 31 margin. Meanwhile, Palisades’ varsity boys and girls both made their first appearance in the Southern Section playoffs and both reached the semifinals. The boys, coached by Scott Hylen, Tommy Johnson, finished 17-3 and earned the No. 6 seed in the postseason tournament. The Dolphins edged Newbury Park, 4-3, in the first round, then routed Chaminade of West Hills 9-3 in the quarterfinals before losing to second-seeded Mira Costa in the Final Four. The girls’ team, coached by Juliet Mittlemann, Alison Brittain and Kristina Villamil, had an 11-game winning streak and was unbeaten against City opponents. The Dolphins outscored host La Canada, 9-8, in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section playoffs and gave Cate of Carpinteria all it could handle before falling, 10-9, in the semifinals. sports@palipost.com