New Coach Sets High Standards

Conditioning and Positive Attitude Are Keys to Rebuilding Palisades’ Program

Athletic director Leo Castro could scarcely contain his excitement when he was named head football coach in the spring. He brings a wealth of experience to the job, along with a qualified staff that he hopes will return the Dolphins to the success they enjoyed in the late 1990s under Ron Price. Castro replaces Jason Blatt, who posted a 9-13 record in two seasons. “We have a lot of raw talent,” said Castro, who was the offensive line coach at Granada Hills back when John Elway was the Highlanders’ quarterback. “How good we will be depends on how much our kids progress and whether they play to their potential. It’s a new coaching staff, a new system, and some of our players have had three or four coaches since they’ve been here, so there is always an adjustment period. But if everyone catches on fast, we could be very good.” Helping Castro will be his son, Aaronn, who will serve as offensive coordinator, and Joe Kearney, who will coach the defensive line and linebackers. Longtime Pali assistant George Burns and newcomer Steve Sims will be the offensive and defensive line coaches and Carter Austin, who was the Dolphins’ head coach in 2001, will work with the running backs and safeties. With only 35 players on varsity, Castro and his staff made conditioning their first priority this summer. “We got the players in the weight room and we stressed conditioning pretty early on,” Castro said. “That’s going to be big for us because we don’t have the numbers I was hoping for. We’re going to have quite a few guys playing both ways for four quarters, so they’re going to have to be in shape.” Just as important as conditioning, however, is the positive approach the coaches bring to practice every day. “If there is one thing I wanted to change, it was to make the game more fun for the kids and one of the ways to do that is to motivate them in a positive, not a negative fashion,” he said. “We want them to learn and for each and every kid to have an opportunity to play at both [varsity and frosh/soph] levels.” Castro said the Dolphins’ offense will include multiple sets and look similar to the one USC employed last year on its way to the national championship. “We’re going to have a lot of three- and five-step drops with a lot of crossing patterns. We’re going to throw the ball more than last year.” Burns, who has already conducted several “chalk talks” with Pali’s offensive and defensive linemen, said he likes the players’ attitudes so far. “These kids are a very coachable bunch. They seem receptive to what we are saying, but the real test will be how well they remember when it’s time for the kickoff.” Palisades opened 3-1 last season, but lost six of its last seven games when injuries and ineligibilities took their toll. This year, the Dolphins are more concerned with how they finish than how they start. “The coaches definitely have big goals,” said senior David Villalobos, who could be the starting center and will also play linebacker on defense. “They want for us what every team wants–to win the City championship. We’re behind them, we trust them and we think they can lead us there. But of course, we have to get it done on the field.” Villalobos will have a herculean task trying to fill the shoes of 6-3, 240-pound Jeremy Shorter, who graduated last spring. Also lost to graduation are tackles Greg Clark (6-4, 250) and and Palisadian-Post Cup award-winner Geoff Schwartz (6-7, 310). Palisades returns only two offensive linemen from a team that lost to El Camino Real in the first round of the City Invitational playoffs last season: Villalobos (6-1, 225) and Dominique Baker (6-1, 290), but they will be helped by Mitchell Schwartz, Geoff’s younger brother, who will start at tackle. “Mitchell is really coming on strong,” Villalobos said. “For someone so big, he’s very athletic. He gets very low on his blocks. He has been very impressive in practice.” Other linemen who could play both ways include seniors Justin Page and Sompon Nagbe and junior Christian Clark, who was a standout on junior varsity last season. At guard and backing up Villalobos at center could be junior Terrence Morris (5-9, 238). Expecting a productive senior season is quarterback Dylan Cohen, who has worked the last three weeks perfecting his spirals after spending the first half of the summer at baseball camps. In fact, Cohen was selected to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ elite prep team last week and hit two home runs in batting practice. But his sole focus now is on football and he is confident his second year as a starter will be more productive than his first. “My timing on the slant routes is good and my arm strength is there,” Cohen said. “I’m seeing the field a lot better, I’m reading the defense better and I’ve got a year’s experience. I would say our strength is in our running backs and our offensive line. If those guys can give me time, I’m going to make some plays.” After throwing for 645 yards and six touchdowns and rushing for five touchdowns last season, Cohen hopes to put up bigger numbers in Pali’s new offensive scheme. Backing up Cohen will be senior receiver Steve Collins and receiver/strong safety Robert Gillette, who quarterbacked Pali’s frosh/soph squad last year. Palisades lost some of the speed it was expecting back when last year’s starting tailback Ellis Anderson and his half-brother Isaiah Green (who averaged almost three touchdowns a game on frosh/soph) transferred to Long Beach Poly. Still, the Dolphins will have halfback Anthony Anaebere and fullback Andre Harris in the backfield again. Harris rushed for 734 yards and four touchdowns last year while Anaebere added 401 rushing yards. Cohen will also be the punter and placekicker as he was last season, when he converted 19 of 23 extra points and made two of three field goal attempts. “Kicking is a strongpoint,” he said. “I’ve been punting about 50 yards in the air in practice and the ball is turning over and hanging up there a long time. I haven’t practiced my placekicking too much yet but I will as we get closer to our first game. We’ve all got to step it up a notch in practice starting today.” On defense, Pali will be led by Villalobos, Page, guard/linebacker Alphanso Gray, defensive back Joseph Luckett, linebacker Christian Sanchez and free safety/cornerback Eugeni Borisson. “We have a lot of good guys coming up from frosh/soph,” Villalobos said. “Our defense is not big, but we’re fast. If everyone just plugs their gaps, we’ll be able to stop the run.” The last time Castro coached football was at Lincoln High in 1999, but he has taught in the Los Angeles Unified School District for 27 years and knows all about Palisades’ proud tradition. “This school has won more City titles than any other and I want to restore pride in the athletic program. Football is but one of many sports I want to succeed.” While Blatt stressed rushing and defense, Castro and his staff look to employ a more balanced attack, which should give the versatile Cohen an opportunity to make plays with both his legs and his arm. “The defense won’t know what we’re going to do,” Cohen said. “We’ll run, we’ll throw, we’ll do some bootlegs, we’ll do some play action. Whatever it takes to keep the defense guessing. I’m not afraid to tuck the ball away and run if I see an opening.” Senior wide receiver/defensive back Brandon Bryant, who led the team in receptions last year, thinks the Dolphins can be better than they were in 2003: “If we mix it up and everyone stays on the same page, we can have a good season. One thing I learned last year is that it takes a team effort. We all have to play together as one or it won’t work.” The Dolphins face a daunting schedule, with six of their 10 games away, including next Friday’s opener at perennial City Section power Sylmar. Pali also has nonleague games against Los Angeles and San Pedro (both beat the Dolphins last year) and opens Western League play with back-to-back road games against Westchester and City finalist Venice. “Honestly, I think we can go 8-2 if not better,” said Villalobos, one of the Dolphins’ team captains last year who hopes the new coaching staff will name him a captain again this season. “We believe we are better than Sylmar and I think we’ll come in better prepared for that game. San Pedro and Venice are going to be tough but we can upset them and I see no reason why we can’t beat everyone else. Don’t be surprised if we win our league and go deep into the playoffs.” Palisades’ frosh/soph went undefeated under head coach Ted Baker last season and was loaded with speed and talent. But only three players return from that squad and new coach Calvin Parker knows he must begin a rebuilding process. “Most of the standout players from last year are either up on varsity or transferred out,” Parker said. “So I have no idea how good we’ll be.” Parker has yet to decide on a quarterback, but said three freshmen are in contention for the starting job: Raymond Elie, Mike Latt and Allen Ferguson.