Pali High receiver Pierre Kaku talks about his three touchdowns vs. University.
Although Palisades High head football coach Tim Hyde accurately described last Friday’s victory at University a “total team effort,” several players stood out, perhaps none more than junior wideout Pierre Kaku.
He had only two catches, but both of them went for touchdowns that allowed the Dolphins to pull away in the second half of a 51-20 rout which restored the squad’s confidence after a humbling 29-point home loss to Venice the week before.
After scoring on a nine-yard run to increase Palisades’ lead to 18 points on its first drive of the second half, quarterback P.J. Hurst recognized single coverage and let fly a long pass down the left sideline. Kaku caught the ball in stride and sprinted untouched to the end zone to make it 38-14 on the last play of the third quarter.
“I had a few drops earlier in the season but P.J. told me not to quit so I’m just trying to execute and get better and better,” Kaku said. “On that play, I just tried to hold onto it and help my team.”
Midway through the fourth quarter, Kaku hauled in a 17-yard strike inside the pylon to put the game out of reach.
“Get off my feet,” Kaku said. “That’s what [receivers] coach Ray Elie is always saying. You gotta win the ball… that’s the prize, so go up and get it!”
For good measure, he returned an onside kick 55 yards for a score with 52 seconds left.
“I was thinking just keep running,” Kaku said. “I saw the opening, took it and cut back. It was a great job by my blockers.”
Overshadowed by his three-TD performance, however, was Kaku’s impact at defensive back, where he intercepted a tipped pass (returning it 35 yards) and forced a fumble recovered by teammate Aaron Butler.
Hurst was “Mr. Efficiency,” completing 10 of 14 passes for 212 yards and four touchdowns, including a 37-yarder to Jake Taitelman for the Dolphins’ initial score with 59 seconds left in the first quarter. Hurst, an All-City selection last year, has thrown for 1,297 yards and 15 touchdowns through seven games this season.
Then there was the effort of linebacker Dakota Hamilton, who also earned one of Hyde’s game balls by making 17 tackles (nine solo, eight assisted) in just his second start since being called up from JV.
The Dolphins’ ground attack, which had been slowed by the loss to injury of Innocent Okoh, ran roughshod through the Wildcats on the legs of Stone Maderer and Marrio Lofton, who each gained over 100 yards and allowed their team to control the game’s pace.
With University blitzing, Lofton exploded through the line and raced 82 yards for a touchdown to give Palisades its first lead early in the second quarter and added an 11-yard scoring run to cap the Dolphins’ next possession.
It appeared University, playing its first Western League game on its new turf field, would enter the locker room with the momentum after pulling within six points on a six-yard pass from Paul Davis to Kareem Miles, but Palisades executed its hurry-up offense to perfection, marching 80 yards in 46 seconds. Tight end Gersan Osorio capped the drive by outjumping three defenders for the ball in the back of the end zone and getting both feet down.
“It was a broken play, I took it upfield and I just high-pointed the ball over the defender and made a play, but it was a great delivery from P.J.,” Osorio said, describing his acrobatic catch. “They tried to rip it free, but I held the ball really tight in my arms and made sure no one was able to put a hand on it. While I was going down I looked to my left and right and knew I was in. I was on the ground for about three seconds waiting for the ref to put his arms up.”
Osorio had four receptions for 52 yards, Taitelman added two for 70 and Ryan Ashmore and Lofton each had a catch.
Leading the defense were linebacker Quinn Perry (13 tackles, one sack), tackle Willy Rosenfeld (10 tackles, one sack) and safety Kaelynn Lamothe (seven tackles, two for losses).
Palisades’ point total was the third most in a game in three seasons under Hyde.
“When you’re in league, every game is like a playoff game and every play matters,” Hyde said. “Defensively, this is the best we’ve played. We forced four turnovers and whenever you win the turnover battle you stand a great chance. Our goal is to be one of the 16 teams in the City [Division I] playoffs and we’re battling for it.”
There were several turning points, one coming on a fake punt by the Wildcats at Palisades’ 40-yard line when All-City linebacker Alec Simpson tackled the ball carrier for a five-yard loss. Another was Butler’s interception of an overthrown ball in the secondary that set up Kaku’s first touchdown catch.
— Steve Galluzzo
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