By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

On the PGA Tour, multiple rounds are needed to determine a champion, but the CIF City Section Championhip is a one-day tournament where one errant tee shot or misread putt can determine a player’s fate.

Palisades was the favorite heading into this year’s finals May 21, having taken first place at league finals the previous week, and although  Coach Dave Suarez had confidence in his team he knew from past experience that you cannot take anything for granted in an 18-hole event.

As the action unfolded the Dolphins made it clear that they were, in fact, the best team and by early afternoon the only question was who would win the individual title at Griffith Park’s Harding Course. 

Top to bottom, Palisades’ lineup was as deep as perhaps it has ever been. The Dolphins were a collective seven over par and finished 24 strokes ahead of runner-up Granada Hills. All six players placed in the top eight and each of them shot a 77 or better.

“We got off to a quick start and everyone played solid,” Suarez said after being handed the first-place plaque. “Our sixth guy shot 77 and it didn’t even count towards the team score. What I like about this group is that everyone is capable of going low. They all push each other.”     

Granada Hills’ Joseph Wong, who had fired a 66 on Griffith Park’s longer Wilson Course at league finals, birdied the last three holes in the finals and was the clubhouse leader after carding a five-under par 67. Playing alongside him in the first group was Palisades’ Jake Norr, who wound up with a one-over-par 73, which was good enough for third and one shot better than teammate Michael Conner, who was fourth with a 74. Mason Geller was fifth with a 75 and Cole Christopher was seventh overall (the Dolphins’ fifth and last scorer) after shooting a 77.   

Wong’s lead appeared safe until defending champion Luke Schultz  made a late surge as he did one year ago when he eagled No. 18 to force a playoff with Van Nuys’ Isaiah Kim and eventually prevailed on the sixth extra hole to become Palisades’ first individual champion since Ray Yang won back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017 with rounds of 70 and 72, respectively.

Playing three groups behind Wong, Schultz birdied the 15th and 17th and came to the last hole, a par five, two back of the leader. Schultz reached the green in two and had a 40-footer to tie. After taking several minutes to study the break he calmly tapped his eagle attempt toward the cup. It curled to within a few feet and Schultz easily made the birdie putt, settling for second with a 68.

“I don’t look at the scoreboard much [during a round], but when I was two over through four and saw I was only three back I knew I had a chance,” said Schultz, one of several Dolphins who lost his home in the Palisades Fire. “On the last hole I had a big breaking putt and I hit my line, it just happened to be low but congratulations to him [Wong]. It was a fun round of golf.”    

Palisades secured its section-best 24th team crown, second in a row and fourth in five years. Suarez is on quite a roll himself, also having guided the girls to four straight team titles.

“I still remember two years ago when we were the heavy favorites and our best player [Gavin Loughran] woke up with neck pain and didn’t play,” Suarez said. “You just never know what can happen.”   

Palisades with eight and Granada Hills with four have combined to win the last 12 City titles. Both schools advanced to the CIF Southern California Regionals on May 29 at Los Serranos Golf Club, where the  Dolphins shot 401 to finish ninth and the Highlanders shot 431 to place 10th. La Serna from the Southern Section won with a score of 362. Norr was the Dolphins’ low scorer with a two-over 76, followed by Schultz (78), Geller (81), Connors and Christopher (83s) and Bigalow (84).   

The Los Angeles City Section released its All-City teams Monday and Tuesday in baseball, softball and boys volleyball and Palisades High players appear on two of the three lists.

After leading the Dolphins’ baseball team to the quarterfinal round of the Division I playoffs, senior outfielder Logan Bailey was picked for All-City honors. He tied for third on the team with 22 hits in 25 games, was third in runs scored with 24, led the team in doubles (six) and triples (two), had a .355 batting average and swiped a team-high 17 bases.

Bailey finished the season with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage after collecting 40 put outs and two assists in 42 total chances with zero errors.

Not surprisingly, Bailey also earned All-Western League first team honors along with pitcher/ first baseman Roman Hawk and pitcher/designated hitter Ian Sullivan. Palisades finished 18-11.

Palisades was eliminated by Verdugo Hills in the opening round of the Division I softball playoffs and no Dolphins were selected to the All-City squad.

In boys volleyball, however, Palisades made the eight-school  Open Division and three Dolphins are represented on the All-City squad. Fifteen players were chosen for the first team and among them was Palisades senior outside hitter Kiarash Vazirnezemi. Among the 14 players on the second team roster were Dolphins’ senior setter Antonio Vinzoni and sophomore outside hitter Henry Levin.

After finishing second in the Western League behind Venice, Palisades was seeded fifth in the Open bracket and lost in three sets at No. 4 Granada Hills in the quarterfinals May 7. The Dolphins finished 24-10.

Alyssa Lee was voted Coach of the Year after leading No. 3 El Camino Real to the Open title.      

Registraion is open for AYSO Region 69’s fall season. Sign up by June 15  to avoid the wait list.  Financial Assistance is available.  Contact registration69@aol.com.

Players born between 2012-2021 are eligible. For players born in 2010 and 2011, contact registration69@aol.com for assistance in finding a nearby program.

Games/practices will be held in Brentwood this season due to the Palisades Fire. Divisions 5U and 6U will be Sunday mornings; 7U and older will play Saturdays. The season starts in late August and ends in mid-November/early December. All-Star and tournament play will follow. A Player Development Program may be offered Sunday afternoons. Volunteer coaches, referees and board members are needed so sign up to volunteer when you register your children.

Region 69 is offering summer soccer camps for kids ages 5-12 at Westwood Recreation Center (Tommy’s Field). In addition to soccer there will be arts and crafts, tag games, dodgeball, capture the flag, toy time, water fights and activities for athletic development.

Three weeks available: Week 1 is July 7-11; Week 2 is July 21-25; Week 3 is August 4-8. Daily hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for ages 5-12. Sign up for individual days or full weeks.

Register online at AspireSoccerCoaching.com or contact (805) 222-7212 for more information.

Six Palisades teams participated in the Cheviot Hills Memorial Day tournament May 24-25, three of them made the finals and the  9U squad won the championship.

Coached by Kambiz Kamdar, Karl House and Steve Bergman, the 9Us finished 4-0 and won three games via the mercy rule, including the final, a 15-5 victory over La Canada that avenged a defeat in last year’s championship game

The 9U’s talented roster was comprised of James Kamdar, Luca House, Spencer Bergman, Parker Atwood, Gavin Morrow, James Murphy, Henry Janneck, Decland Donahue, Ford Hill, Grey Schiff, Sam Schiff, Noah Mehring and Graham Aris.

Palisades’ 12U and 13U teams  also advanced to the championship game of their divisions.

Unable to play on the four diamonds at the Field of Dreams because of damage resulting from the Palisades Fire in January, the PPBA joined the Cheviot Hills Pony League this season and the World Series in each age group was completed before the Memorial Day weekend. The Broncos had their own bracket of solely PPBA teams and the Orioles, coached by David Hoffman, won it. The Cheviot Rangers won the Miustang Division but the Orioles won the “PPBA” Championship. Baldwin Hills won the Pinto title but the Cardinals coached by Andrew Kirsh, won the “PPBA” Championship.

Gerry Blanck has been teaching karate in Pacific Palisades for well over four decades  and ever since he taught his first class in the Village in 1982 the ageless Yoshukai black belt has been a staple in the community, even after his dojo burned to the ground in the Palisades Fire.

On May 17 at Hilton Santa Monica Hotel  the Phoenix Dojo Gala, headed by  Committee Vice-Chair Shannon Factor, hosted a night in honor of Blanck’s 43-year legacy.

The evening kicked off the launch of the Gerry Blanck Martial Arts Foundation, a community-driven initiative to carry forward the dojo’s mission of discipline, empowerment, and resilience through expanded programs and outreach. While the rebuilding of the physical space remains a long-term vision, the foundation’s immediate focus is clear: scholarships for students impacted by hardship, advanced training opportunities for elite youth competitors, and wellness programs that serve the broader community. It was announced that the first scholarship will be awarded this month to 10-year-old Eden Savoian, who competed at a national tournament in Las Vegas just days after her family’s home was destroyed in the fire.

The fire January 7 left over 180 students and their families displaced, but as the May 17 event proved, the heart of the dojo still beats strong. “The Phoenix isn’t just a symbol—it’s a reality in motion,” became the unofficial theme of the evening, and nowhere was that more evident than in the students who lit up the floor. Young martial artists showed off their board breaking and weapons skills like 8-year-old Ryder Factor, who wowed the audiience with a gold-medal bo staff routine alongside world champion Allen Woodman, followed by standout performances from Savoian, Juliette Price, Ben Zamel, and Dylan Davis.

Many on the competition team lost their homes in the fire and were honored with Certificates of Achievement and surprise custom trophies presented by Sensei Blanck and new honorary co-mayors of Pacific Palisades, actors Ted McGinley and Gigi Rice. Their sons Beau and Quinn both trained under Blanck.  The couple succeed comedian and actor Eugene Levy, who was mayor from 2021 to 2024.

Among the instructors honored were Sensei Tamar Springer, Sensei Marc Lamaze and assistant coach Sensei Jake Ehrlich. Emceeing the event was Peter Madrigal of Vanderpump Rules and Reality Network Co.

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

There were plenty of handshakes and high-fives under Palisades High’s tent in the bleachers at Birmingham High after the Dolphins took third place in the girls standings with 44 points and sixth in the boys standings with 28 points at the City Section Track & Field Championships on May 22.     

Boys 4×400 relayers Harrison Carter, Jayden Joch, Armani Lindley and Ronin Sherertz earned a trip to the state meet in Clovis, beating Granada Hills by 17 hundredths of a second in 3:23.98.

The 4×100 relay team of LeHenry Solomon, Carter, Lindley and Sherertz, clocked a PR 43.66 to finish seventh and Sherertz ended up in the same spot in the 400 meters with a time of 52.43. Justin Hart of team champion Granada Hills won in 47.45.

Andrew Razo clocked 2:01.16  to take eighth in the 800 meters and Jackson Taylor was 11th in 2:04.27. One of the most thrilling finishes of the meet came in the 3200, where Zach Cohen led for most of the eight laps before being passed at the end by Venice senior Charles Simon, who won in 9:38.77. Cohen, a junior, took seond in a personal-best 9:40.94 and advanced to the state finals.

Marley Duff was seventh in the 300 hurdles in a personal-best  41.66 and the Dolphins’ 4×800 relay team of Taylor, Odino Spadavecchia, Zach Amster and Razo    took second in a PR of 8:13.41.

The girls’ 4×800 relay earned a state finals berth after winning in  9:46.13. It was a PR for Dalia Harinck, Vitalija Schafer Gabriella Gilyard and Annabelle Refnes, who beat second-place Granada Hills by almost 13 full seconds.

The Dolphins took second to Carson in the girls 4×400 relay. The Colts won in 4:02.70 while Palisades’ foursome, comprised of Skyla Jones, Shannon Cantwell, Kalee Herd and Refnes, clocked its fastest time (4:02.77)   

In the 4×200 relay, Palisades was third in 1:54.27 on the strength of the foursome of Javayah Sole, Mikaia Solomon, Lucy Ames and Seanna Coleman. Crenshaw won the race in 1:53.51.

Jones ran the 400 in a personal-best 59.41, good enough for fifth overall (Savannah Williams of team points champion Granada Hills won in 57.22) and Refnes set the pace in the 800 meter race before taking second in 2:18.15 behind fellow junior Ananya Balaraman of North Hollywood (2:16.90). Gilyard was also in the field, finishing seventh in 2:23.68.

Three Palisades girls qualified for finals in the 1600, which was won by Balaraman in 5:03.75. Kendal Shaver (5:33.15) was seventh, Zoey Morris (third in the 1600 and first in the 3200 as a ninth-grader last year) was 11th in a time of 5:38.90 and Amelia Halpin was 12th in 5:46.20. Four Dolphins were among the 23 entries in the 3200 and Morris was the first to complete the eight-lap race, finishing 12th in 12:19.57. Shaver (12:24.93) PRd’ to finish 16th, Halpin was 18th in 12:35.43 and fellow freshman teammate Hanna Sadzik was 19th in 12:39.67.

Ava Bondar (49.33) was fifth in the 300 hurdles, Malon Rose placed third in the shot put with a throw 33 feet, and Mahagoni Sinclair cleared four feet, 10 inches to take third in the high jump. Refnes  was fifth at 4-08.  Marshall’s Oleana Taalman Koch won at a height of 5-02. No Dolphins qualified for finals in the girls sprint events.

—- Click on any photo below to view slide show —-