Pali Football Rallies Past Uni

Compete for everything.

That’s what first-year Palisades High varsity football coach Tim Hyde has been preaching ever since practice began and his players took those words to heart last Friday night.

The Dolphins overcame a 14-point deficit to spoil University’s homecoming with a 28-21 victory and stay in third place in the Western League standings. Joseph Velez led the way, rushing for 237 yards and two touchdowns in 37 carries, including the winning score in the fourth quarter, as the Dolphins (6-3 overall, 2-2 in league) kept their march towards the postseason alive.

“The game came down to two or three big plays and we made them,” said Palihi junior defensive end and linebacker E.B. Odeh. “Even after we took the lead they still had time to come back but we were able to force a three-and-out, get the ball back and run out the clock.”

Palisades scored on the game’s first possession, taking a 7-0 lead on Taylor Mensik’s touchdown pass to Ryan Holbert.

“I just ran a streak pattern, he led me perfectly and I caught it in the end zone,” Holbert said. “Taylor [Mensik] is an accurate passer and he’s good at reading defenses. We ran a lot of multiple sets to change things up and that kept them off balance.”

The Wildcats (5-4, 2-2) scored 21 unanswered points to build a 21-7 lead behind quarterback Domonick Heads, who tied the score on a 20-yard run, then threw touchdown passes to receivers Chris Morroquin and Eugene Ford.

Palisades, however, responded just before halftime, driving 60 yards in less than a minute and scoring on Mensik’s 10-yard quarterback keeper. Mensik connected on 10 of 15 passes for 130 yards with one interception. Receivers Erik Miranda and Matt Bamberger each caught three passes.

“That touchdown right before halftime was huge because it gave us back the momentum,” said senior captain Marc Simon, who plays left tackle and noseguard. “It was like we were sleeping until then, but afterwards we matched their intensity and went beyond it.”

Odeh had three tackles, including a sack, linebacker Duane McBroom forced a fumble and recovered it in the fourth quarter and sophomore cornerback Justin Mason made an impact in his first game, intercepting a pass in the third quarter.

“We thought it would be a cakewalk but it wasn’t,” Simon said. “It was a tough game, but Coach always tells us if we want something we have to go out and compete for it. He’s made a big difference from the first day he stepped on campus.”

The decisive score was the 13th touchdown of the season for Velez, who has amassed 1,200 yards in 193 carries and is averaging over six yards per run.

“Joey stepped up for us a lot,” Palihi defensive tackle Ismael Saucedo said. “They couldn’t stop him.”

After what Hyde described as “most definitely a great win,” the team’s focus now shifts to tomorrow’s regular season finale against Hamilton, which kicks off at 7 p.m. at Stadium by the Sea. The Dolphins are on the verge of a second consecutive berth in the City Section Division I playoffs and Holbert is confident he and his teammates won’t underestimate the fifth-place Yankees (3-6, 1-3), who lost to Palisades 38-0 last season.

“We’ve learned from the games we’ve lost not to back off from anyone,” Holbert said. “You have to play hard every game, every quarter, every down.”

With one game left, Palisades and Uni are tied for third place in the Western League behind Venice (4-0) and Fairfax (3-1).

“We definitely don’t want a replay [of Uni] so we’ll have a better mindset this week,” Simon said. “It’s Senior Night, so we’re going to be fired up and come out with better energy.”

Frosh/Soph

Makhai Husband scored on a 40-yard draw, Gersan Osorio caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from Jonah Manheim and Oscar Romero ran for a pair of two-point conversions in the Dolphins’ 28-16 loss at Uni. The loss dropped Palisades to 4-5, 2-2.

“We’ve been in every game but we’ve decimated by injuries all year,” head coach Ray Marsden said. “We want to finish league with a winning record so this last game is important.”