Season Opens Friday for Palisades High Football Team, Which Aims to Defend League Title and Return to Open Division Playoffs

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

By any measure, Dylen Smith’s first season as head coach of the Palisades High football program was a success. Under his leadership the Dolphins finished 7-3, won the Western League title and made the City Open Division playoffs—one of only eight teams to do so.

Upon being hired, however, he made it clear his ultimate goal was to pilot the team to its first section championship. That may seem far fetched as he begins his second year at the helm, but Smith believes the Dolphins are capable of winning all 10 games on the schedule—six of which will be played at the friendly confines of Stadium by the Sea, starting with Friday night’s season opener against Dymally (varsity kickoff at 7 p.m.).

His confidence was bolstered by the Dolphins’ performance in last Friday’s scrimmage against Santa  Monica, Smith’s alma mater, on the Vikings’ new navy blue synthetic turf field. If official score were kept the Dolphins would have lost 14-7, Nevertheless Smith liked a lot of what he saw, especially from his offensive line.

“The scrimmage went ok,” he said. “Not the best showing we wanted to have. We did some good things and some bad things—all fixable.

I was most pleased with the O-line. They blocked really well in the pass game and in the run game. On some plays the defensive line had more guys than they could block so that wasn’t their fault, but I was really, really pleased with them.”

If the Dolphins are going to win at least a share of their seventh league title in 10 years, improving as the season goes on and keeping injuries to a minimum will be key.  Palisades has won 20 of its last 22 league games, both losses to Venice.

Schedule

According to Calpreps, Palisades’ strength of schedule is weaker than last year, so the Dolphins should take full advantage against overmatched opponents like Dymally, which graduated most of its best players from last year’s nine-win squad that made the City Division I semifinalis. For its second game Palisades was supposed to travel to Boyle Heights to face Roosevelt, but the Rough Riders’ field renovation is not complete, so the contest was relocated to Palisades, where the Dolphins routed an undermanned Roosevelt squad 42-14 last August. Replacing St. Genevieve on the nonleague slate is Harvard-Westlake, which ended up 4-6 overall and 1-3 in league last fall (including a 22-21 defeat to St. Genevieve) and missed the Southern Section Division 12 playoffs. The Dolphins dropped the Charter Bowl to Granada Hills last year and make their first road trip Sept. 6, but the Highlanders’ best player, running back and All-City defensive back Darrell Stanley, has transferred to City Open champion Birmingham. Last year’s 16-point loss snapped Palisades’ nine-game winning streak in the Charter Bowl.

Palisades has lost two in a row in its “Sunset Showdown” intersectional battle with Brentwood, but Eagles quarterback Boone Lourd graduated and Smith is extra motivated to beat  his old team (he was an assistant under Jake Ford at Brentwood before taking the Palisades job) when the schools renew their rivalry Sept. 13. The league champion will likely be the winner of the Dolphins’ Oct. 18 homecoming game against Venice.      

The teams have split their last four meetings with Palisades coming out on top 28-24 last fall.

Offense

Junior quarterback Jack Thomas passed to wide receiver King Demethris for a 70-yard touchdown on the final play of last Friday’s scrimmage and the next day Smith named Thomas the starter for tomorrow’s opener following a spirited battle for the first-string spot throughout camp with senior Brett Federman, who had backed up Roman La Scala (he graduated in June) last season.

Josh Chinchilla centers a talented line, flanked on either side by Cole  Ward (6-5, 220 lbs.), Liam Hudson (6-3, 230), Liam Giannantonio (5-10, 180) and Mitchell Ghotanian  (6-5, 220). Other linemen include  Samuel Pizante, Matthew Franco, Luc Vallernaud, Bryan Ochoa, Iliya Heydarkhanie, Hunter Kizzee and Walter Perez. The receiving group is deep with Demethris, Max Hejazi, LeHenry Solomon, Michael Meraz, Armani Lindley, Adan Diaz, Ricardo Martin, Harrison Carter and tight ends Augie Evans, Eddie Guevara and Alex Vasquez. Carter will also head a stable of running backs that also features Tyler Jones and Deveron Kearney. The top gainer last year, Teralle Watson, transferred to Warren High in Downey.

Defense

Despite the graduation of City Defensive Line MVP Evan Nehrenberg and All-City defensive backs Matt Spoonamore and Saxon Ward, the Dolphins return one of the best  all-around defenders in the section in 6-4 senior outside linebacker Jake Treibatch, who led the squad with 60 tackles, nine for losses, last year.

Cash Allen will also play outside linebacker alongside Noah Roshan, Brayden Khani, Reggie Montanez and Nico Townsley. Rowan Flynn will patrol the middle. Nose guards    Ari Hosseinzadeh and Justin Rodriguez will have help from tackles Kenneth Sanchez, Kayden Kohan and Leandro Fabian and ends Mike Tobin, James Tisdale, Dylan Nazarian, Didier Amaya, Nikan Modaressi and Joseph Bucher-Leighton should apply plenty of pressure to opposing quarterbacks. The secondary is also full of playmakers in strong safeties Connor Petoyan and Skyler Walters, free safeties Jaden Joch, Jack Crosby and Tavian Talbert, and corner backs Solomon, Jackson Kaufman, Diego Partow, Ethan Nazarian, Desmond Russell and  Ervin Hernandez.

Special Teams

Seniors Jacob Leatherman and Jack Malloy will handle the kicking and punting duties. Palisades lost All-City punter Caden Robertson  (35.6 yards per punt average) and placekicker Kellan Ford 34-of-36 on PATS and two-of-three in field goal attempts) both graduated. Solomon returns as the Dolphins’ premiere kickoff and punt returner, having re-

turned 10 kickoffs for 275 yards (includng a 95-yarder) and seven punts for 150 yards in 2023. Carter averaged 15 yards in his three kickoff returns and averaged 10 yards in his three punt returns.

History

Palisades has become one of the winningest programs in the LA City Section over the last five seasons, posting a 40-11 record in that span, including Open Division postseason berths in 2019, 2021 and 2023 and a run to the Division I finals in 2022.

Prior to 2022, Palisades had only reached the finals twice in program history. In 1974, under their first coach Dick North and back when there was only one playoff division, the Dolphins lost to San Fernando 12-10 in the championship game on a foggy night at the LA Coliseum when quarterback and kicker Rick Myers missed what would have been the game-winning field goal as time ran out. In 1987, quarterback Perry Klein set school passing records on his way to leading Palisades, coached by Jack Epstein, to the 3A final, where the Dolphins fell to Franklin 30-14 at East LA College. Klein finished the year with 3,896 yards and 36 touchdowns.

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Charlie Albores and Sloane Le Chang Shine for Santa Monica Fastpitch 12U Softball All-Stars

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

In the heat of competition, friendship can be strengthened or weakened and in the case of Palisadians Sloane Le Chang and Charlie Albores,  a bond formed with them and their teammates that will last a lifetime.     

As members of the Santa Monica Girls Fastpitch 12U Gold All-Star team this summer, the two helped their squad finish fifth out of 31 teams at the Western Nationals in Salem, Oregon—one of the highest finishes of any team in league history. Samo qualified for Nationals after taking second in the LA/South Bay District, then placing in the top four at the State SoCal Championships in Lancaster over Fourth of July weekend.    

“The reason we were so successful is teamwork,” said Le Chang, who lives in the Highlands and is starting eighth grade at Calvary Christian School and plans to attend Palisades High next year. “If you don’t have a team that plays together you won’t get that far.”   

“We’re one big family,” adds Albores, who lives near The Village and is now a seventh-grader at Paul Revere. “If our pitcher isn’t doing well we’re there for her. At my lowest points, they’ve always been there for me.”    

Head coach Mike Denbeau, whose daughter Maddie Denbeau (a pitcher and outfielder on the squad) used to go to Calvary Christian, guided the 12Us to a 30-17-1 record during the All-Star season, including a 5-5 mark at Nationals, where they scored 89 runs in 10 games, the most combined runs of any team in the tournament.

“I’ve coached this team, including Charlie and Sloane, since they played 10U two years ago,” Denbeau said. “That team was a disappointing 2-14 and never qualified for state. They were talented but hadn’t figured out how to play as a team. That’s what made this year’s group so special. They always had the individual talent but after two years of playing together they became a family and truly began playing for each other, which is the ingredient you need against the high-level of competition we faced during our run through states and nationals.  You’ll get down, get beat, you’ll be nervous and scared but you realize the team’s bigger than you and you draw strength, resiliency and inspiration from your teammates and refuse to let them down. Charlie and Sloane exemplified that spirit.”

Le Chang likes hitting most whereas fielding is Albores’ specialty. In the spring, Charlie played for the Bronco Tigers in the PPBA.

Denbeau, whose younger daughter Bella is 10 years old but was called up to the 12U All-Star team to be a courtesy runner, assessed both Palisadians’ skills.

“As our starting second baseman, Charlie  was a rock in the middle of the infield, getting key defensive outs all season while making spectacular “Sportscenter Top 10” type leaping and diving plays that saved us in games,” he said. “She takes pride in her craft as a defender, gives maximum effort on every play and is one of the best, if not the best, defensive second basemen in all of California. She’s no slouch at the plate either. As I recall at Nationals she came up with a huge bases-loaded hit that tied the game against North Shore of San Diego—a game we went on to win in extra innings.”

On the diamond, she made zero errors in 32 chances at Nationals and turned several doube plays with shorstop Mali Gutierrez.

“Sloane was our starting center fielder and hit in the middle of the lineup,” Denbeau added. “She was one of our four veterans and like all good hitters eventually experience she went through a hitting slump in the middle of the season. I benched her for one of our games and I know deep down she was disappointed but instead of pouting and being angry she showed great maturity, cheered on her team from the dugout, put her feelings aside and took pride in the team’s success. After that game she was focused and spent hours outside of practice working on her hitting. At States and Nationals she found her groove and got back to crushing the ball, including a triple that came within a few feet of going out of the parkagainst Rampage DC, a strong travel team from Vancouver, Washington.”

Both girls relish the grind of playing softball 10 months out of the year and in season practicing for two hours a day, three days a week. All the hard work has paid off.   

A lifelong Palisadian, Le Chang is also an accomplished volleyball and lacrosse player. Her older brother Noah is a freshman on the JV football team at Pali High. Her younger brother Luke plays tennis and pickleball and is going into sixth grade at Paul Revere.

Albores’ family moved from New York City to the Palisades when she was 3. She used to run cross country, skateboard and play lacrosse and she graduated from the Junior Lifeguard program at Will Rogers State Beach. Charlie’s big brother Oliver is a sophomore on the surf team at Pali High.

Short for her age, Albores does not think size is a factor on the diamond, saying: “It doesn’t matter if you’re tall or small.”

Since 8U, Albores has a tradition of letting her teammates sign her cap. Were it not for softball the Palisades girls might not have met—and for that they are thankful.    The two will be on different All-Star teams next summer, but neither will forget this year’s shared experience.    

“Sloane is moving up to 14U next season, but we’re returning eight of our 11 players from this team in 12U—including Charlie,” Denbeau said. “So watch out!”

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The last time the Palisades High girls volleyball team won a City Section crown was 2020. For most schools, four years is no big deal but at Palisades that is an eternity.

The Dolphins have 30 City crowns to their credit since 1973, by far the most of any program, and they hope to add to that total with a roster that returns 11 players from last year’s squad, which lost to El Camino Real in the Open Diviion semifinals. Co-captains are senior middle blocker/outside hitter Hazel Irving and junior libero/outside hitter Lucy Neilson. Bolstering the lineup are hitters Ashlynn Sells, Tulah Block, Gaby Bartle, Paige Monaco, Isabella Drake, Adalee Foster and Bianca Dolotta; middles Annie Refnes, Gabby Flynn and Margot Madeira; liberos Sophia Winston and Ava Dyer; and setters Christie Turner and Lila Barajas.

Palisades swept Eagle Rock in its season opener Aug.16. On Sept. 6-7 the Dolphins play in the Chatsworth Invitational. The following weekend they head to the Falcon Classic at Crescenta Valley and Sept. 27-28 they play in the Venice Invitational.

Having lost its LA City Section championship to rival Granada Hills last fall, Palisades High’s girls tennis team is determined to win it back. That quest starts Tuesday with a nonleague match at Westlake and the Dolphins will try to reverse last year’s 7-0 loss to the CIF Southern Section Open Division champion.

On Sept. 3 they host West Ranch in another nonleague match.   

Highly-ranked sophomore Shaya Jovanovic has expressed interest in playing for the Dolphins this fall after skipping high school tennis to focus on the junior circuit as a freshman. Key returners are juniors Anais Israels, Nicole Nguyen, Ella Engel and Anne Kelly, seniors Sashi Gancheva, Dori Jamehdor, Emma Yoffe and Reese Trepanier. Up from JV is 10th-grader Maya Goldenson and rounding out varsity are Misha Heindel, Alexa Farahmand, Penelope Mihal, Ella Portugali, Charlie Roberts and Remy Trepanier.          

Coach Bud Kling’s squad is scheduled to play in the California Classic on Sept, 6-7 in Fresno and the Sage Hill Lightning Classic on Sept. 27-28 in Newport Beach.    

Steve Kerr added a postscript to his already impressive resume August 10 and it may be the one accomplishment he will cherish most.

Head coach of the USA men’s basketball team at the Paris Olympics, Kerr watched in awe as Steph Curry hit four clutch three-pointers in the last three minutes to seal a 98-87 victory over host France in the gold medal game. It was the USA’s fifth straight gold since 2008. For Kerr, it marked another milestone in a career that has seen him win nine NBA titles (five as a player, four as a coach). The 1983 Palisades High graduate, who set the league record for three-point percentage in his 15-year NBA playing career, served as an assistant on Gregg Popovich’s staff at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Kerr articulated his emotions after  the medal ceremony as follows: “It’s an amazing feeling to watch the players up on the stage and then see the flag going up to the rafters and hearing  the national anthem… I’ve never been more proud to be an American and to be part of a group of people that accomplished something special. We showed that we still have the most great players.”

Village School graduate and former Highlands resident Johnny Hooper played an integral role in the USA men’s water polo team’s run to the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics—the Americans’ first medal since getting silver in 2008.   

The 27-year-old Hooper scored four goals in five group play contests and netted his team’s first goal in the quarterfinals versus Australia before being ejected for throwing a punch. Team USA rallied to win a penalty shootout and Hooper had to sit out the next game, a 10-6 loss to Serbia.

He was back in the pool in the third-place game against Hungary and got Team USA on the scoreboard first less than two minutes into the first quarter. The Americans went on to take the bronze in a shootout 11-8. It was Hooper’s second trip to the Olympics. He helped the USA to sixth place in Tokyo.        

Hooper was in the Junior Lifeguard program at Will Rogers Beach before leading Harvard-Westlake High to two CIF water polo titles and being named Division I Player of the Year in 2015. He was an All-American at California, scoring 245 goals for the Golden Bears.

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

As one of two United States pairs entered in the men’s beach volleyball competition at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Miles Partain and Andy Benesh were hoping to earn a spot on the medal platform.

Earning five out of a possible six points, they placed  second in the group stage behind Chileans Jorge Luis Alayo and Noslen Diaz, then upset the Italian duo of Samuele Cottafava and Paolo Nicolai, 21-17, 21-18, in the round of 16. America’s other tandem, Miles Evans and Chase Budinger, won their lucky loser match before falling to Christian Sorum and  Anders Mol of Norway in the round of 16.

After their three-set win against Brazil’s Andre Loyola and George Wanderley in the final round of pool play, Partain and Benesh issued a statement through USA Volleyball that they were parting ways with their coach Mike Placek, whom the duo had worked with since partnering up in the fall of 2022. Under Placek’s guidance they won three straight Elite16 medals in the summer of 2023 and on the AVP Tour they reached three straight finals (winning two) and were selected 2023 Team of the Year.

Using a higher-risk, more aggressive strategy worked against Alayo and Diaz. They tried it again on August 7 when Partain and Benesh faced undefeated Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan from Qatar in the quarterfinals, but this time they lost 21-14, 21-16, officially finishing in fifth place.

Partain won three City titles at Palisades High and graduated as valedictorian in 2020 before joining older brother Marcus on the UCLA indoor team. He appeared in seven matches as a reserve setter in 2021 and was named 2022 MPSF Player of the Year and a first-team NVA/AVCA All-America selection in 2023 when he played in all 27 of UCLA’s matches and had multiple kills in 19 of them. He saw action in seven matches in 2023, then left the team to pursue his dream of playing in the Olympics.

Only 22 years old, Miles is the youngest U.S. beach volleyball player in Olympic history. He played for Pac6 Volleyball Club and in 2017 at the age of 15 he and his brother (then 17) become the youngest pair to ever advance to the main draw of an AVP beach event. He paired with Paul Lotman to win his first AVP Championship at the 2022 Atlanta Open.

Last weekend, Partain and Benesh were back in action at the Manhattan Beach Open and the No. 3-seeded duo made it to the finals, falling to top-seeded Theo Brunner and Trevor Crabb 21-18, 21-18 despite 11 kills, fiive digs, one block and an ace by Partain. In a three-set semifnal win he had 23 kills and 17 digs.

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Balls were rolling, laughs were trading, jokes were flying and smiles were everywhere Saturday, Aug. 10 at Veterans Gardens, where local residents showed up to watch and participate in the inaugural Hollwyood Cup Bocce Ball Invitational, hosted by Palisades Bocce Club member Memo Macalpin, who has sought to promote the courts at the Palisades Recreation Center since the local club was founded in the spring of 2021 by community mover and shaker Jimmy Dunne.

Macalpin predicted beforehand “We’ll have a great time!” and boy was he right. His favorite part was when everyone gathered around the flag pole for the national anthem.

“I got goosebumps when everyone in unison started singing together,” admitted Macalpin, who helped the Highwood B Bombers win the Open B gold medal at the 2023 U.S.States Bocce Federation National Championships near Chicago. “When it was over you saw a bunch of folks hugging and crying. It was powerful!”

Twelve teams of at least four players each were divided into two groups, with teams in each group playing each other in a round robin format. The top two teams in each group advanced to a knockout stage.

The Blue Group consisted of BC Palisades, Bayside Rollers, Bocceros, Deboccery, Ocean Bocce Club and Pallino Pinchers. Making up the Orange Group were B&B, Bocce Ball Stars, Crem de La Bocce, Roll Models, Team Flour and Vesuvius.

Games began at 9:40 a.m. right after Meaghan Kennedy and her family kicked off the event as the honorary Pallino rollers. Having to make numerous close calls throughout the day were head official Sean Barnett and fellow referee Robin Meyers, who remained fair but firm.

“Refereeing is tough and takes courage,” Macalpin said. “A huge thank you to Sean and Robyn for your high-level reffing. I love how Sean can measure so fancily and Robyn is so calm and collected.”

Macalpin gave much of the credit for the tournament’s success to the many volunteers. Palisades-Malibu YMCA had a “Hydration and First Aid” station, with an unlimited supply of cold water and sunscreen and a tent where the Paris Olympics was being live streamed. Players could grab a sugar-free Red Bull if they needed energy and there was even  a ball repair service station for teams to maintain their bocce balls. YMCA staffer Isai Elias tended to all of the tournament athletes’ needs and questions.

Event manager Alex Lingois worked his magic, setting up a giant monitor and software tracking the tournament results and schedule, so all teams knew where they stood in the standings at all times.

The title sponsor was “Flour Pizzeria.” Robert Flutie, his daughter Ava and their team not only delivered pizza and refreshments for everyone to eat, but also had a full-blown pizzeria pop-up going on and everyone was thrilled.

“That was a sight to see,” Macalpin said. “Robert is building a trophy cabinet over at Flour Pizza, where this beautiful Hollywood Cup trophy will now be on display for the community to see. Robert Flutie’s, Flour Pizzeria & Cafe will return as title sponsor as long as Robert wants as it’s important to me that we always have a sponsor from the community involved.”

In the end Bayside Rollers emerged as the gold medalists after their spirited victory over Bocce Ball Stars in the championship match. Captained by Carlyn Peterson and led by finals Most Valuable Player Nancy Gillette, who made numerous clutch rolls  along with teammates Diane Tallant and Diane Holt, Bayside Rollers deserved the Cup. Dunne presented them with the trophy.

“Nancy’s contribution to her team’s performance in the championship round sealed it for the Rollers and huge congratulations  to the team,” Macalpin said . “I’m so happy for Nancy. She earned the  MVP Award the hard way.”

Silver Medalists Bocce Ball Stars consisted of captain Cindy Kirven, Gregg Seltzer, Terry Hargrave, Kathy Caldwell, Lili Moghbel and Sharam Moghbel. Coming in third was Crem de La Bocce and making up the bronze medalists’ roster were captain Miriam Braveman, Ellie Lederman, Tom Harsnberger, Rene Harnsberger, Candy Beaver and Peter Braveman.

Macalpin coached Team Flour and although it did not advance to the playoffs, team member Savanah Moss was named the Tournament MVP, drawing oohs and aahs from the spectators for her shotmaking.

“There were so many comments about Savanah and how well she played,” Malcalpin said. “She had fun, was accurate all day and decidedly earned the award.”

What’s next for the Memo Macalpin Bocce Brand? “I’m looking at another LA Parks & Rec venue to hold an intimate singles bocce tourney this fall, plus the minute the Hollywood Cup ended I started planning for the 2025 edition,” Macalpin concluded. “The majority of my energy this fall will be spent in Palisades community advocacy as a volunteer, following in my mom’s foosteps. I’m working very closely along with the board at the YMCA brainstorming to enhance teen programming here in town. It’s an important subject in Pacific Palisades because we have wonderful youth and teens here as part of our community and I believe it’s our responsibility to provide our kids more outlets for gathering, leadership, and fun. I’m going to have a blast tackling this one with YMCA Executive Director Jim Kirtley and YMCA Advisory Board Chairperson Tracey Price and her daughter Audrey. Exciting times are ahead.”