It was business as usual for the Palisades High boys’ volleyball team on Monday. No sooner had the Dolphins polished off Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies–the final brush stroke to a 12-0 masterpiece in the Western League–than they turned their attention to the ‘second season.’ That’s right–the City Section playoffs–where Palisades has enjoyed unprecedented success over the years. In order to keep that winning legacy alive, however, players must perform with the urgency and desperation of knowing your season–and, in some cases–your prep career might end come to an end before the ultimate goal is reached. “It’s win or go home,” Palisades’ senior outside hitter Kene Izuchukwu said. “That’s what makes it so exciting.” With the exception of last week’s showdown with archrival Venice, which took the Dolphins the maximum five sets before succumbing, Palisades has had few anxious moments lately. That is, until Tuesday’s City seed meeting, where Coach Chris Forrest predicted his team would be seeded somewhere in the top four. Palisades was ultimately seeded third in the 24-team Division I bracket and has a bye in tonight’s first round. The Dolphins will host either 14th-seeded South East or 19th-seeded San Pedro in the second round at 7 p.m. next Tuesday. On Monday, Palisades Coach Chris Forrest made no bones about where he felt his team deserved to be ranked: “No lower than second. We’ve beaten a lot of strong teams. We were undefeated in league and we took sixth place at the Tournament of Champions in Santa Barbara.” Palisades lost to Woodland Hills Taft in a tournament match early in the season and that result likely swayed the committee into awarding the Toreadors the top seed. Van Nuys was also vying for the #1 spot but was placed #2 ahead of the Dolphins, despite losses to Venice and La Jolla–both teams Palisades defeated. “There’s a big difference between 2 and 3 because the #2 seed gets to host that semifinal match and it’s a huge advantage not having to travel,” Forrest said. Izuchukwu, who sat out Monday’s match to rest up for the playoffs, said he has mixed feelings heading into tonight’s first round: “I definitely think we have the talent and potential to win City, but I think we still need to develop the right mindset. We haven’t reached our peak yet.” If anyone knows what it takes to win it all it’s Izuchukwu, who played on the Dolphins’ 2008 City Championship squad–their first section title in 10 years. “I was a sophomore so on that team I thought everyone was better. Now, I feel like I’m a leader.” Quite often, the difference between winning and losing in the playoffs, Izuchukwu stressed, simply comes down to fundamentals. “Passing and defense–that’s how we’re going to win it,” he said. “This is my last year so hopefully we can do it.” Meanwhile, Palisades’ junior varsity put the finishing touches on an undefeated regular season by sweeping LACES, 25-22, 25-12. The only match the Dolphins lost all year was in the finals of the Sylmar Tournament. Unfortunately, there is no JV postseason tournament so players like freshman outside hitter Calvin Ross can only look ahead to next spring. “It was a great season and we went out with a bang,” Ross said. “I’ll probably play one more year on JV with the level of talent we have at this school.” The City Division I final will be at 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 22, at Roybal Learning Center in Los Angeles.

As the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard clock last Friday night, former Palisades High lacrosse player Elmer Garcia tiptoed onto the field with a bucket of water and tried dumping it over the head of Coach Scott Hylen, who saw it just in the nick of time to dodge it and avoid an early shower. That was about the only thing that went wrong all night for the Dolphins, who played hard the entire 48 minutes of a 9-3 victory over Southern Section rival Loyola at Stadium by the Sea. “I love the LAX guys,” said Garcia, a junior who plays linebacker on Palisades’ varsity football team. “I tried to get him [Coach Hylen] but just missed.” After spotting the visiting Cubs a 2-0 lead in the first five minutes, Palisades took complete control. Warren Satz scored twice in a four-minute span to tie the game, the Dolphins added the go-ahead goal in the second quarter, scored four unanswered goals in the third quarter and added two for good measure in the fourth quarter. In the post-game huddle, coaches told the players it was their best game and if they continue to play at that level they can beat every team they play. That’s good news, considering the win clinched a berth in the Southern Section playoffs, which began with Palisades hosting Newbury Park on Tuesday (result undetermined at press time). A victory would give the Dolphins a spot in the quarterfinals against Chaminade at 7 tonight in West Hills. “This puts us in for sure–we’re in the dance,” said Hylen, whose team was passed over for the Southern Section tournament last spring and had to settle for winning the inaugural City Section title. “We use more of a college level defense. All three of their goals were with the man advantage. Six on six they didn’t score.” Evan Shaner scored the Dolphins’ last goal with 4:57 left in the game. Satz scored the last of his three goals midway through the third quarter to give the Dolphins a commanding 6-2 lead, but afterwards he credited the defense for the victory: “It was all defense–that’s what did it. Team defense. I’m so happy because I’ve played with so many of those guys on the Westside Warriors. This is the first time we’ve ever beaten [Loyola].” The Cubs beat Palisades 12-5 in their season opener last year and wound up advancing all the way to the CIF finals. This year’s varsity squad includes Palisadians Jeff Rosenberg, Alex Kutsukos, Luke Mullan, Cameron Lancey, Hunter McCormack, Chris Tesorerio, Peter Hensley, D.B. Henney and Tony Festa. “This is the best we’ve played in my four years here,” senior defender Alex Gelber told his teammates in the post-game huddle. Palisades followed the Loyola win with a 7-2 romp over Carpinteria Cate on Saturday–the Dolphins’ ninth straight win since a 3-2 loss to Harvard-Westlake on March 26.

It was a foregone conclusion that the Palisades High boys’ varsity tennis team would be awarded the top seed in the City Section’s 12-team championship division. Sure enough, that’s just where the defending champion Dolphins ended up–#1 in the tournament and ready to bring home another title. It is a position Coach Bud Kling and his team is accustomed to being in. “We’re a little banged up going into the playoffs, so you never know,” Kling said, noting that some of his best players are nursing injuries. “Eagle Rock is seeded second but I haven’t seen them play so I really don’t know how good they are.” The Dolphins went 12-0 in the Western League and their only losses (barring tournaments) were to perennial Southern Section powerhouses Brentwood and Harvard-Westlake. By virtue of its seeding, Palisades got a bye in Monday’s first round and routed #8 Marshall, 28-1 1/2 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. The Dolphins crushed the Barristers 29 1/2-0 in the same round last spring. Marshall defeated #9 Chatsworth 18 1/2-11 in the first round on Monday. Palisades hosts the Granada Hills-Taft winner in the semifinals at 1 p.m. next Tuesday at the Palisades Tennis Center. The finals are at 1 p.m. next Friday, May 14, at Balboa Sports Center in Encino. Baseball Mike Voelkel’s varsity squad stayed undefeated in the Western League with a 9-2 victory at University last Wednesday and a 3-1 home win over Fairfax on Friday. The next day, Palisades lost 4-0 to Carson in a Redondo Tournament game–only its second loss to a City opponent all season (both are to Marine League teams). Dylan Jeffers pitched a complete game with 11 strikeouts, Chase Holmes homered to right field and Josh Korn homered off the scoreboard in deep center field against the Wildcats. Back at home against the Lions two days later Korn doubled to deep center to plate a run and Nick Poulos pitched five shutout innings for the Dolphins. Palisades suffered its first league loss on Tuesday, falling 13-1 in five innings at Fairfax. Girls’ Lacrosse Palisades beat Westridge, 10-3, then routed Birmingham, 16-4, and outscored Huntington Park, 16-14, last week to extend its winning streak to 10. Its last loss was 10-5 to Mission Viejo on March 6 at the Rose Bowl Tournament. The Dolphins remain unblemished versus City Section. They head to La Canada for a first-round tournament game today. Softball The Dolphins wrapped up the regular season with a 13-10 victory at Malibu in a intersectional game last Saturday and Coach Ray Marsden liked what he saw. “We were able to turn two double plays and only made two errors, which was remarkable considering only four girls were playing in their normal positions,” Marsden said. “I had to move around several players and they were all able to play their new positions effectively. Three in particular were Shannon Dunn going from center to catcher, Karina Perez going from catcher to third base and Tara Farahdel at second base.” Pitcher Reyna Zaragoza hit a two-out RBI double in the top of the sixth inning to regain the lead for Palisades, which finds out today if it made the City Invitational playoffs. If the Dolphins are in the 32-team draw they will either host a first-round game at 3 p.m. (if they are the higher seed) or travel for a first-round game at 3 p.m. (if they are the lower seed). Second-round games are next Thursday (same time) and will be hosted by higher-seeded teams. Track & Field Sophomore Grant Stromberg won the boys’ 1600 varsity race in 4:39 and the 3200 in 10:34 while freshman Jacklyn Bamberger pulled off the same “double” in the girls’ varsity at last Friday’s Western League dual meet against Westchester. Eric Lopez won the 800 meters in 2:08.

The Pali Blues of the United Soccer League’s (USL) W-League and the Hollywood United Hitmen of the USL Premier Development League (PDL) have announced a formal partnership. In addition to sharing the same home stadium, Palisades High’s Stadium by the Sea, the clubs will now share resources and expertise to create one of the most unique soccer environments in the world. The Blues are one of the most successful women’s soccer clubs in the United States, having won back-to-back W-League championships under head coach Charlie Naimo in 2008 and 2009. Since their inaugural 2008 campaign the Blues remain undefeated in all competitions, having fielded numerous top names in women’s soccer, including United States national team players Lauren Cheney, Tobin Heath, Amy LePeilbet and Kendall Fletcher and World Cup stars Kirsty Yallop, Collette McCallum and Kate Munoz. The Hitmen were formed in late 2008 as a new branch of the world-famous Hollywood United club, which has competed in Los Angeles-area amateur leagues for over 20 years, defeated the Portland Timbers in the U.S. Open Cup in 2008 and its senior team has boasted some of the biggest stars in TV, film, music and sports. The Hitmen won the PDL Southwest Division regular season title in their debut season in 2009 with a roster that included former Cuban Olympic Team goalie Jose Miranda, Guatemalan international Willie Sims and former Chivas USA defender Rene Corona. When the Pali Blues were established in 2007, local owners Ali and Maryam Mansouri intended to have both a men’s and women’s team. However, because of existing territory rights, the USL could only grant them a women’s franchise. A new opportunity arose when the Hitmen acquired the rights to the former San Fernando Valley Quakes PDL franchise in 2009, and the Mansouris joined the new team’s ownership group; now, with the support of former professional goalie, actor, and long-time Hollywood United stalwart Anthony LaPaglia, the owners’ dreams are finally being realized. “The Hollywood United organization couldn’t be more excited about formalizing our relationship with the Pali Blues,” Hitmen general manager Jason Mathot said. “Ali, Maryam and their staff have set the standard for teams, not only in this league, but in this country. The daily operation of the club is amazing and all of the hard work their staff performs pays off with the product they put on the field. This new chapter in our organizations’ histories will hopefully strengthen both of us, in terms of the level of professionalism off the field and the level of success on it.” The Hitmen began their 2010 PDL campaign on April 24 with a 3-0 road victory over the Fresno Fuego and made their home debut last Saturday, May 1, falling 1-0 to the Southern California Seahorses. The home opener was preceded by a celebrity charity game, the inaugural Steve Cassen Memorial Cup, in which the senior Hollywood team remembered one of its teammates and celebrated his life. Cassen, who passed away a few weeks ago, was a member of the Hollywood United family for many years. The Blues, meanwhile, begin defense of their W-League title on Saturday, May 22, when they host the Santa Clarita Blue Heat. At halftime, players and fans will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for most people juggling soccer balls simultaneously in one place. For more details about the Hollywood United, call Kenzo Bergeron at 310-709-2242, e-mail kbergeron@hollywoodutd.com or visit the Web site: www.hollywoodutd.com. For more details about the Pali Blues, call Jason Lemire at (310) 264-4649, e-mail jason@bluessoccerclub.com or visit the Web site: www.bluessoccerclub.com.

Walker Kehrer and Stanford teammate Greg Hirshman won the Pac-10 Invitational doubles championship at the 110th Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament last Sunday. Kehrer, who grew up in Pacific Palisades and had a stellar prep career at Brentwood School, is only a freshman but already he is showing the same poise and confidence that got him to the top of the national rankings in doubles in the juniors. He and Hirshman, a junior, beat Washington’s Tobi Obenaus and Alex Rosinski, 8-4, in the final. Palisades High players advanced deep into their respective draws in the junior divisions. Joseph Silvers made the semifinals of the boys’ 14s singles, beating Reed Stadler, 6-3, 6-4, and Joseph Rotheram, 6-2, 6-1, Tanner Smith, 7-6, 6-2, and Fabian Schaefer, 6-4, 6-2, along the way. Spencer Pekar made it the furthest in the boys’ 16s singles draw, losing to Cristobal Rivera, 6-2, 6-2, in the quartertfinals. Robbie Bellamy lost to Rivera in the round of 16 while fellow freshman Alex Giannini reached the round of 32. Oliver Thornton, the Dolphins’ top player, lost in the second round of the CIF singles division, as did Santa Monica High’s Connor Treacy. Brett Alchorn and Max Licona scored an upset victory in three sets in the second round before falling to the fifth-seeded duo in the CIF doubles division. * * * * Adam Sraberg won the boys’ 12s division at the South Bay Tennis Center Spring Junior Open last weekend, upsetting second-seeded David Goulak of Oak Park, 6-3, 6-2, in the semifinals, then upsetting top-seeded Gilbert Chung of Los Angeles, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, in the finals. Harry Cohen got to the quarterfinals and fellow Pacific Palisades resident RJ Sands reached the semifinals. Palisadian Sophie Bendetti beat Katie Chang of Rancho Santa Fe in three sets, then won three more matches to take the girls’ 12s title at the Woodbridge Tennis Club Spring Open in Irvine. Bendetti upset top-seeded Riley Gerdau of Newport Beach, 7-6, 6-4, in the final. Roscoe Bellamy is currently ranked No. 1 in Southern California in the boys’ 10s singles and doubles–the only player in any age division holding the top ranking in both. Clay Thompson is No. 2 in singles in the boys’ 18s after recently winning the boys’ International Championships at Claremont. He has accepted a scholarship to play at UCLA in the fall.

So much for a “sophomore slump.” Last year, Palisades High freshman Jamie Greenberg set the girls’ frosh/soph pole vault meet record of 9′ 0″ at the South Bay Championships in Torrance. On Saturday, Greenberg came back as a sophomore and won the varsity girls pole vault with a jump of 10′ 2,” topping girls from 16 other schools. Greenberg said her goal is to help Palisades win the City track and field team title this spring: “I hope I can contribute a few points at City [finals] because our team is looking strong and I think we have a good chance this year. We have some amazing athletes. Coach [Perry] Jones, Coach [Ron] Brumel and their assistant coaches are so knowledgeable and have been very supportive.” Greenberg was not the only Dolphin to bring home a first-place medal from the two-day meet at West High. On Friday night, freshman Laura Carr cleared 8? to win the frosh/soph pole vault. Sophomore Grant Stromberg won the 3200 meter race in a time of 9:53:54, breaking Peter Gilmore’s school sophomore record. It was the third fastest varsity time in Palisades High history. Freshman Drake Johnston took 7th place in the same race with a time of 10:18:28. Sophia Stone won the girls? 3200 in 11:45:11 (the fourth fastest time in school history). The medal count grew on Saturday, starting with Erika Martin, who won the varsity long jump with a leap of 17 feet. The Wake Forest-bound senior also finished second in the 100 hurdles a school-best time of 14.65 seconds. Dennison-bound senior Lauren Gustafson was 7th place in the 800 meters in 2:28:33 while younger sister Kendall, who broke her wrist in practice the previous week, competed in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays. Kendall, a freshman, is one of the top track and field athletes in the country in her age group. Freshman Jacklyn Bamberger won the 3200 in 11:14:52 (the second fastest time in school history), Eric Lopez ran sixth in the 800 meters, clocking 2:00:32 (the fifth fastest time in PaliHi history) and Kolmus Iheanacho was fifth in the shot put with a throw of 47′ 5″ (the third best mark in school history). Earlier on Friday, Palisades’ varsity boys and girls teams both defeated Fairfax in a Western League dual meet at Stadium by the Sea. Even with many of their top athletes resting for the South Bay meet, the Dolphins still won easily, as Martin won the 100 hurdles and Mariah Fisher won the 300 hurdles.

The last two weeks have been all about winning for the Palisades High varsity baseball team. Heading into the season Coach Mike Voelkel was unsure whether his team could dominate the Western League like it did last spring. Well, so far, so good. Ace pitcher Julian Achez blanked LACES, 10-0 behind three hits from Philip Joseph and two more from Julian Harrison. Next was a 16-0 shutout of the same team, with Nick Poulos striking out 14 in the complete-game victory. Achez beat rival Venice 5-2 four days later, thanks to two hits each by Sam Wasserman and Julian Harrison. The second game of the home-and-home series included a home run blast by Cary Jacobson that cleared the 30-foot screen in left field, 328 feet from home plate. Ryan Kim added two hits in the 10-1 victory. At the Redondo Tournament, Palisades routed Gardena 12-1 as Joseph had three hits while Jake Green and Achez each added two. Next came a 7-3 win over Burbank on two hits apiece from Brad Schaeffer and Jacobson. The Dolphins’ winning streak came to an end last Saturday against Corona Centennial, 12-4. Chris Kaufman had a double and Adam Levin nearly hit a three-run homer to tie the game at seven, but the wind knocked it down on the warning track. Palisades bounced right back on Monday, beating University 11-1 at George Robert Field. Julian Achez pitched a complete game, Jacobson has a double and a triple and Elliott Barzilli added two hits. Swimming Palisades won its annual showdown against Venice last Friday, but the Dolphins’ varsity girls were upset 88-81’a result Coach Brooke King hopes will motivate her team come City Finals. “We had a lot of things go wrong and other things that didn’t go our way,” King said. “In a way, I think they needed that. Venice is our rival, so I think losing to them is a good wake-up call. The girls aren’t used to losing. The rest of the Western League dual meet went Palisades’ way. The varsity boys won 93-77, the frosh/soph boys won 95-37 and the frosh/soph girls won 81-36

Gary Green, MD, was appointed Medical Director for Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner announced last Wednesday. Green has a private medical practice in the Village, the Pacific Palisades Medical Group, specializing in internal and sports medicine. Dr. Green has served as a consultant to Major League Baseball on anabolic steroids and performance- enhancing substances since 2003. As Medical Director, Dr. Green will evaluate Baseball’s Drug Prevention and Treatment Programs at the Major and Minor League levels and will make recommendations on updates to the programs. He also will serve as the Office of the Commissioner’s primary liaison to club physicians and certified athletic trainers. He will assist in the development of educational programs and materials and will advise on all issues related to the health and safety of MLB personnel. “Dr. Green has been an outstanding asset to Major League Baseball as a consultant, and we are pleased that this expanded role will provide him an opportunity to make significant contributions to our game,” said MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said. Dr. Green succeeds Elliot Pellman, MD, who will remain in an advisory capacity. Dr. Green currently serves as a clinical professor in the Division of Sports Medicine at The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He has researched performance-enhancing drug use in athletics through the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory. For five years, he chaired the NCAA Committee on drug testing and drug education. Dr. Green, who is board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Sports Medicine, is a fellow in the American College of Physicians and the American College of Sports Medicine. “The reason I think drug testing is important is because it creates a level playing field,” Dr. Green told the Palisadian-Post in 2006. “It also goes to the nature of sports, of playing by the rules. When we do surveys of athletes. They are supportive as long as the testing is applied fairly. “At the professional level, it is part of a collectively bargained issue,” he added. “Each sport tests for specific drugs and most sports have a caveat that you can’t use a related substance.”

AYSO Region 69, serving Brentwood, Pacific Palisades and Topanga, will hold on-site new player registration this Sunday, May 2, at Paul Revere Middle School from 3-5 p.m. All children with birth dates between August 1, 1991 and July 31, 2006, are eligible to play. New players must be pre-registered online prior to the on-site activity. Information and all forms can be found on the website: www.ayso69.org. All player and volunteer forms must be brought to the field (located at Sunset and Mandeville Canyon) and turned in with a copy of the birth certificate or other proof of age, and the fee of $210 per child (credit card use online, check, or cash). Players who will be 6 years old by July 31 must also attend for evaluation purposes. It is mandatory that new families attend the on-site registration. New players (U8 and older) will be given an evaluation and should wear sports-appropriate footwear. Region 69 also sponsors a VIP special needs division. For more information, call (310) 454-KICK. “Space available” makeup registration will be held Sunday, May 23, same time and location. New player forms found through the mail will not be processed until June 1 for the waiting list. * * * * AYSO Teams Medal in Santa Clarita Pali Power, a local AYSO Girls’ U10 All-Star team, took fourth place at the Santa Clarita Showdown last weekend. Six players combined for Power goals in victories over Santa Clarita and Santa Monica and scored the only goals of the tournament against first-place Tulare. Power’s squad consisted of Alexandra Angeledes, KK Bishop, Caroline Douglas, Elyse Forman, Maddy Glick, Kate Holt, Izzy Levi, Tessa Nikkhoo, Cameron Rawlings, and Cameron Stokes with Coaches Dan Forman and Adam Glick at the helm. Meanwhile, the Pali Hurricanes, a local AYSO Boys’ U12 team, reached the championship game, beating Castaic 4-1 and Hesperia 5-1 and tying Valencia 1-1 in pool play before falling 2-0 to Winnetka in the finals. Matt Kors led the way with four goals, Ryan Alford and Brendan Goldberg scored two apiece and Aaron Forman and Jack McCartney each added one. Rounding out the Hurricanes’ squad were Quentin Barnes, Jeffrey Ehlers, Daniel Mosch, Louie Nadeau, Max Parcell, Chris Reiss and Jack Schoenfeld.