The Palisades High varsity football squad hits the road Friday in the quarterfinals of the City Section Division I playoffs.
The sixth-seeded Dolphins (9-2) will try to pull off the upset when they travel to third-seeded San Pedro (9-2) for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Pirates hold a 5-3 edge all-time, including a 34-6 win the last time the teams met in 2004. San Pedro won the last playoff encounter, 9-6, in 1992.
San Pedro was second place behind Narbonne in the Marine League this season and shut out West Vally League runner-up Birmingham, 49-0, in the first round last Thursday. Quarterback Austin Davenport has passed for 1,342 yards and 10 touchdowns, Kai Kaneshiro has ruhed for 664 yards and 11 TDs and Sean Davenport has run for 6-5 yards and nine scores. Raymond Geha has 36 receptions for 585 yards and six TDs and Kaneshiro has 13 catches for 172 yards.
Palisades will counter with tailback Innocent Okoh, who leads all Division I runners with 1,833 yards and 18 touchdowns.
“San Pedro is a mix of every road trip we have faced the previous three years in the playoffs,” Pali High Coach Tim Hyde said. “They’re an outstanding physical defense like Garfield in 2013, they’ve got very good skill kids and an athletic QB like Arleta in 2014 and their overall team speed and size reminds me of Birmingham last year. They’re a combination of those three… just an excellent and well-coached team. We’re going to need to be at our best to beat them.”
— Steve Galluzzo
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