By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

The numbers ‘3’ and ‘9’ were the  most pertinent last Wednesday  in Woodland Hills, where Palisades  High’s boys and girls lacrosse teams  once again proved they are the best in the City. For a third straight year the Dolphins swept the finals, both winning by nine-goal margins, and claimed the school’s first section titles since the Palisades Fire.

In the nightcap, the boys outscored host El Camino Real 14-5 to seize their 10th championship, ninth in 10 years and fifth straight under head coach Dave Bucchino, who got rewarded with a bucket of ice water dumped over his head.

“This ranks top one or two for me since we didn’t expect to even have a season,” he said. “We practiced mostly at Brentwood School and kids were spread out so it was a matter of who’s going to show up, there was inconsistency but all they wanted to do was play.”         

Will Fishman had four goals, Gavin Zuniga and Dylan Wong each had two and Maddox Walker made eight saves for the top-seeded Dolphins, who made it six in a row over ECR in the finals.

“Our goal every year is to win City to keep the streak going, but this year the fire got us fired up,” said Fishman, a senior headed to Ohio State. “Half our players lost their homes but it’s a great way for me to go out… winning a championship with my best friends.”

The first game of the doubleheader saw Palisades’ girls cruise to a three-peat under head coach Dexter O’Connell with a 12-3 victory, also over ECR. Freshman middie Elexus Ray led the charge with nine goals, Emma Yoffe had two and Amanda Wexler scored off a rebound in the first quarter as the top-seeded Dolphins claimed their fourth title overall.    

“I was on today and my teammates were looking for me,” said Ray, who began playing the sport in kindergarten and who proved to be unstoppable in the postseason, netting 17 goals in two playoff contests to finish the spring with 113—a new school single-season record. “I was aiming for a lot of goals this season but I didn’t think I’d get over 100.”

Sarah Finestone made eight saves to up her season total to 145.

“For two whole quarters they didn’t put the ball in the goal and they only had it in our zone three times in the first half,” O’Connell said. “Our re-defending was tenacious. I feel lucky to be coaching this group. It brings me joy. I’ve tried to make Pali a fun place that the girls can come back to.

Both the boys and girls squads  have made the finals every year since the City sanctioned lacrosse playoffs in 2014. The girls lost to Birmingham five times in a row before breaking through in 2019, beating the Patriots in the finals. The 2020 season got canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.     

Pali High Boys Tennis Beats Granada Hills to Extend City Title Streak 

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor      

As his opponent’s ball landed out to end a dramatic tiebreaker in last Thursday’s City Section Open Division boys tennis final, William Selna was congratulated by his teammates as if he had just clinched the championship. In actuality, the Dolphins had settled the issue a full hour before, yet they lined up along the fence outside the court to cheer their  last player to victory— a testament to the pride and passion permeating the most successful program in all of Los Angeles.   

Palisades dominated in singles and doubles to win its 16th straight City title, the longest active streak by any team in any sport in the section, and 41st overall with a 23-6.5 triumph over Granada Hills.

“I felt some pressure, but I was excited to be out there for that last set,” said Selna, who rallied from a 4-2 deficit to force a tiebreaker, then won it 7-5. “I had a knee injury most of the year and didn’t get a chance to play much. Today I played hard and came back after being down.”     

The schools were facing off in the finals for the 10th straight time, the last seven in the Open Division, and the Dolphins dominated from  the get-go, sweeping all seven matches (four singles and three doubles) in the first rotation. In fact, No. 1 Palisades reached the 15-point threshold needed to win before the third-seeded Highlanders got their first.

“To win 16 in a row is hard to believe,” said coach Bud Kling, who was doused with water while raising the trophy after collecting his record 53rd City title (32 with the boys, 21 with the girls) since taking over the program in 1979. “Granada Hills has been a formidable opponent over the last decade or more but every team has a down year here and there. We’ve been the underdog three or four times during this run and managed to find a way to win.” Kling lost his home in the Palisades Fire but for the winningest high school tennis coach in California history every championship is unique.

“We graduate 10 players, including seven starters, so next spring’s going to be a rebuilding year,” Kling said. “We’ll need four or five guys to step up over the summer and see if we can keep [the streak] going.”

UC Santa Barbara-bound Lorenzo Brunkow won his first three sets, 6-2, 6-0, 6-0, before being subbed out for Tucker Salser-Meyers in the last rotation. Six days before, Brunkow advanced to the semifinal round of the CIF singles division at Ojai.

“It’s the last time we seniors will do it,” said Brunkow, who swept his four sets at love in the semifinals against Sherman Oaks CES. “We all knew what it meant for Coach Kling to cement his legacy so weren’t going to let him down.”      

No. 2 player Neel Joshi also won his first three sets, 6-1, 6-1, 6-0, before he was replaced by Rocco Weinberg and the No. 1 doubles team of Caleb Scott and Max May took their first two sets easily, including the crown-clincher, then watched freshmen Bennett Murphy and Josh Glaser prevail in a tiebreaker in round three. The No. 3 duo of Tristan Kiperman and birthday boy Zach Stuffman picked up an unexpected one and a half points in the second rotation by upsetting Granada Hills’ No. 1 tandem of William Stanfield and Ashton Park, 6-3.

“This is my last year at Pali so it’s great to get the Sweet 16,” said senior  Owen Chin Rust, who won two of his three sets at No. 3 singles  before being replaced by Sam Salser-Meyers for the final round.

Dash Hansford beat Granada Hills’ Leo Duvison 6-2 at the No. 4 singles spot but lost to the No. 1 and No. 2 players before getting subbed  out for Selna against the Highlanders’ No. 3 player Ceferino Dolatre.

“This is my second time playing [Granada Hills] in the finals,” Hansford said. “Last year I was subbing but this year I’m starting and it feels better knowing I contributed. The pressure’s on me next year.”     

Zach Cohen and Ben Babikian, Palisades’ No. 2 duo, beat Granada Hills’ No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams before being subbed out for freshmen Shane Fox and Cameron Vahidi.    

Christian Camarillo, winner of the last two City Individual doubles tiles with different partners, lost to Brunkow (the defending City singles champion) but swept his last three singles sets, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. He was in the No. 1 position because Granada Hills’ best player, junior Kristian Sharma, was ineligible.

“All credit to Palisades … they were the better team today,” Highlanders coach Troy Aiken said during the medal ceremony. “We always enjoy playing them because you know it’s going to be good tennis.”

Palisades’ current dynasty started back in 2009 with a 26.5-3 rout of Granada Hills but the teams did not meet in the finals again until 2015.  The Highlanders have never won a City boys tennis title.

“Our school’s won it every since year I was 2 years old,” Selna said. “It’s generational at this point.”

Much of Kling’s time and energy in the near future will be devoted to rebuilding his house, but he hopes a few more City titles before he is finally done coaching. He is aided by two of his former players, Robert and Joe Silvers.    

“To get through a year like this I’ve had to do more delegating than usual but it was all worth it,” he said.     

***Click on any photo below to view slideshow***

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Braun Levi was much more than simply a talented high school tennis player with a bright future ahead of him. He was respected by his peers and loved by everyone who knew him. He was only one month away from graduating from Loyola High and was all set to go to the University of Virginia but all that changed in an instant when he was struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver while walking with friends on South Sepulveda Boulevard in Manhattan Beach early Sunday morning, sending shockwaves through the Pacific Palisades community where he grew up as well as the South Bay, where his family had relocated after losing their home in the Palisades Fire. 

“Everyone says Oh, he’s the tennis player and a smart kid but he was way more than that,” his father Dan said in an interview with Fox 11 News the following day. “His personality was off the charts. Everybody loved him, not just the athletes or cool kids, but everybody.”

Braun’s mother Jennifer feared the worst when she got the dreaded call and echoed her husband’s sentiment that “everyone thinks they were his best friend.” His older sister Adelle was visibly moved by the outpouring of love and support—a testament to the lives her brother impacted.    

“I’ve gotten countless messages from people I’ve never even met before just telling me stories and sending me photos,” she said.      

Levi was extremely proud to  be a Cub, going to numerous sporting events, sitting in the bleachers and cheering his fellow athletes on. He was a regular at volleyball matches—a sport Loyola has long excelled in. He met many of his friends through tennis and despite his competitiveness on the court, when a match was over he was the first to shake his opponent’s hand. To those who knew him best, his positive attitude was what stood out most.

Loyola High released the following statement: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Braun Levi, a cherished member of our Loyola High community. Braun was a young man of integrity, kindness and strength. He was admired by faculty, respected by his peers, and beloved by all who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Levi family during this devastating time.”

A vigil was held Sunday night on the Loyola campus and among the hundreds of students, parents and faculty in attendance were Palisades High tennis players Lorenzo Brunkow and Neel Joshi  and Jack Thomas, quarterback of the football team,  who  transferred to Pali High from Loyola after his sophomore year.

“He was so cheerful and present in every step,” said Joshi, who was devastated upon hearing the news that his friend was gone. “He made each memory I hold with him so bright, not only because of his outgoing charisma, but because of the compassion he carried with him. He was goofy and joyful, even in times where our heads were screwed on tight (during a doubles match), we still found laughter in each element of our friendship. We’d joke about the wins and losses we had over one another over the eight plus years we’d been competing with one another, whether it be in USTA tournaments or high school matches. In the summer of 2023 I saw Braun almost single every day, going to tennis training in Burbank with Lorenzo, sweating our guts out in the valley heat for four hours followed by a gym workout. Braun always walked in with the same contagious grin on his face, causing all of us to smile no matter what mood we were in. Braun’s life was action packed and exciting. Each weekend a new activity to enlighten himself, whether it be dressing up in a pink suit for a derby race, being the manager (sometimes player) of Loyola’s exceptional volleyball team, or helping orphans getting medical help with his family, Braun juiced his life to the max.”

Brunkow added: “Braun was the best guy I know. He was one of the smartest, funniest and nicest guys all in one. The spirits were always very high when he was around and he made training and playing tennis very fun together.”

Loyola principal Jamal Adams wrote : “Braun was a shining presence in our Loyola family,” Adams wrote, “bringing light, joy, and inspiration to everyone he touched.” 

Tennis coach Brian Held, who coached Levi for four years and also got to know him as a student, having taught several of his classes.

“He was a four-year starter who played both singles and doubles for us,” Held told the Post. “He was such an unusual leader as a freshman and I made him a captain as a sophomore. He was  unique the way he interacted with everyone on the team, from the best players to the last players… he earned everyone’s respect. Everyone mattered to him. All of his opponents felt special too. He won the Mission League doubles title four years in a row and his list of accomplishments for Loyola tennis is vast. He’s probably the most decorated player to ever play for the school. We’re all stunned and heartbroken for this tragedy. He was the most amazing all-around kid and leader you could possibly imagine. Everyone loved Braun. He was just that type of kid.  As one of his classroom teachers as well, I witnessed how he brought joy to every group of people he was part of—a sentiment I’m confident will be shared by many.”

Braun’s doubles partner at Loyola the last two years and one of his best friends growing up has been fellow Palisadian Cooper Schwartz, who also lost his home in the Palisades Fire. The two advanced to the semifinals of the prestigious Ojai Tournament less than two weeks ago.

“In our last match, all I had to do was look at him and he knew the play we were going to use,” Schwartz shared. “Braun was everyone’s best friend on and off the court. All you had to do was look at him and his smile was the promise that he would do anything for you. I love you Braunny.”

Cooper’s mom Suze enjoyed seeing her son and his partner play: “Watching Braun on court was an adrenaline rush. He never gave up, going after balls you’d think were impossible to reach and somehow turning them into winners. His mom and I would nervously watch every point like it was match point, constantly moving around thinking our energy made an impact. He was amazing, powerful and laser-focused but what I admired most wasn’t his talent, but his sportsmanship. I often saw him clap for the other team when they made a great point.And, whether he won the point or lost it, whether it was his fault or Cooper’s, they would tap hands after every single point. It was their way of saying ‘We’re in this together.’ Braun played with power, heart, grace and had fun doing it. He was genuine, nice and smart. On the last day of his life, Braun was doing what came naturally to him—serving others. He was feeding the homeless on Skid Row. The Loyola motto is ‘Men for and with Others’ and that was Braun to his core. If tennis begins with “love all”—Braun truly lived that way. He loved all and we all loved him.”

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor      

Palisades High’s baseball team hopes to be playing at Dodger Stadium at the end of the season—the reward for reaching the finals of the City Section’s top two divisions. A few weeks ago, they got a taste of what that experience might be like thanks in large part to Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts, who had made a surprise visit to a players-only practice January 29 at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center to talk to members of the team and offer words of encouragement three weeks after the Palisades Fire burned many of their homes to the ground.      

During batting practice the afternoon before the Dodgers were to host the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 26, Roberts (on his own bobblehead night, no less) invited the Dolphins’ JV and varsity teams down to the field level to watch their favorite Major Leaguers take swings. Two hours later, pitcher Jett Teegardin, one of the players who lost his home in the January 7 blaze, was on the Dodger Stadium mound delivering the ceremonial first pitch to Roberts behind the plate—a dream come true moment for any fan. Then, four other players—Ethan Davis, Lars Refnes, Tribe Edwards and Carter Branch—were handed microphones behind home plate and delivered the familiar amd iconic phrase: “It’s Time for Dodger Baseball!”

The Dodgers won the game, 8-4.

“It was a wonderful tribute to our players and I couldn’t be more grateful to Dave [Roberts] and the Dodgers for making it happen,” Pali High head coach Mike Voelkel said.

“They’ll remember that the rest of their lives.”

That morning, the Dolphins were  set to play a nonleague game against reigning City Open Division champion Bell. Although it got rained out, Voelkel was presented his Model Coach Award (which he won in March) from City Commissioner Vicky Lagos. Voelkel, in his 18th season at Palisades, was one of two coaches from the City to receive the statewide honor this year. He earned his 300th victory with the Dolphins on March 7, a 7-4 win against Western League rival Hamilton.

Palisades played tough against Sylmar but lost 5-2 last Saturday in the Tiger Classic. The Dolphins are second in league behind Venice  heading into Friday’s regular season finale. Not having a field to practice and play on has not been easy, but Voelkel is not one for excuses.

“We’re making the best of the situation,” he said. “There are only eight teams in the Open Division [playoffs] this year, which means that Division I is going to be harder.   No matter where we get placed we have to cut down on our errors.”