“Do your job!” is what the sign over the door of the Palisades High football room reads. A short and simple reminder to players all too eager to take the field for real after three hard weeks of practice.
The Dolphins will finally get to tackle players in different uniforms Friday when they host El Camino Real in a scrimmage at 5 pm. at Stadium by the Sea and while varsity head coach Tim Hyde doesn’t know exactly what to expect, he knows his team is ready to compete.
“Overall, from the first player to the last, this is the fastest team we’ve had and the most athletic offensive line,” Hyde said. “ECR is very similar to us, so it’s a great opportunity to get film so we can plan and prep for our season opener against Sierra Canyon.”
Throughout fall camp Hyde has stressed to his players the importance of putting last year behind.
“We haven’t played anyone,” he said. “[All-City quarterback] P.J. Hurst hasn’t thrown a pass yet and [All-City linebacker] Alec Simpson hasn’t made a tackle. Having said that, I’m extremely excited with the guys we have. We’re still trying to put players in the right places, we’re constantly evaluating. Whoever’s on that field is a starter.”
After the Sierra Canyon game Aug. 28 at Granada Hills High, the Dolphins return home for a Thursday night matchup with Sylmar, which moved up to Division I after reaching the City Section Division II finals last fall.
Palisades scheduled a preseason scrimmage with San Fernando last year but it was ultimately canceled.
“I love the way our schedule breaks down,” Hyde said. “We have two tough games right off the bat, then we have our bye week. So Friday starts a three-week evaluation period. By the time we get to our bye week we’ll have a good idea of where we’re at.”
Hyde admitted he doesn’t know much yet about what the other Western League teams have returning, but he expects every opponent to be tough.
“Last year, our league had two Division I playoff teams and Hamilton won Division II.”
Note: the JV and varsity scrimmages will be at the same time, each using half of the field.
— Steve Galluzzo
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