Pali High Football Schedule Set

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Coming off a season in which his team exceeded expectations by winning the Western League title and making the City Open Division playoffs, Palisades Charter High School football coach Dylen Smith is optimistic his second year at the helm will be even more successful.

The 2024 schedule has been finalized and the Dolphins will be tested throughout, with three rivalry games in the mix and two opponents Palisades did not face last fall on its way to a 7-3 record.

The season kicks off Friday, August 23, against Dymally at Stadium by the Sea (JV at 4 p.m. followed by varsity at 7 p.m.). The schools’ only prior meeting was two years ago in the City Division I quarterfinals when the host Dolphins prevailed, 42-14. The Challengers returned to the Div. I playoffs last year, losing in the semifinals to Banning to finish 9-4. 

 In Week 1, Palisades travels to Boyle Heights for a Thursday night game at Roosevelt, which finished fourth in the Eastern League last season and lost in the quarterfinals of the Division II playoffs. The Rough Riders will try to reverse a 42-14 loss at Palisades last August.

Palisades is back on the road Friday, September 6, to take on Granada Hills in the schools’ annual Charter Bowl. The Highlanders won last year’s contest 26-10 to snap a nine-game losing streak in a series that started in 2006.

A week later the Dolphins return home for an intersectional matchup with Brentwood. It will be the sixth “Sunset Showdown,” and the Eagles hold a 3-2 edge after rallying from a 10-point half-time deficit to win 43-24 at home last year. It was an emotional night for Smith, who coached against his former team and mentor Jake Ford for the first time.

Another Southern Section opponent awaits the Dolphins in Week 4 when they travel to Studio City to take on Harvard-Westlake. The teams have not played since they split a home-and-home set in 2013 and 2014 when Tim Hyde was Palisades’ coach.

Palisades’ bye is after the nonleague portion of its schedule—giving the Dolphins two weeks to prepare for their Western League opener at Fairfax, which Palisades beat by 23 points last fall. Back-to-back home games follow against Westchester and Venice—teams the Dolphins defeated last year—before a final road trip to University. The last regular season game is at home versus Hamilton on November 1.