Panthers Have Plenty of Options

The scores came so quickly and with such stunning ease that Palisades High players could only shake their heads in bewilderment. At times in the second half of Friday’s intersectional football game in Palos Verdes it seemed the field was tilted–and the Dolphins were swimming against the current. Peninsula (1-2) used an option attack to wear out the PaliHi defense on its way to a 48-7 victory that could have been even worse had pouring rain not slowed the Panthers’ running game. The Dolphins, though, gave the opposition plenty of help–losing two fumbles and committing four false start penalties. Palisades (1-2) scored on its first possession when quarterback Michael Latt connected with wide receiver Gerald Ingram on a quick slant for a 61-yard touchdown. Kicker Joe Berman’s extra-point, however, ended the Dolphins’ scoring. It was all black and gold after that, as the floodgates opened for host Peninsula, which marched downfield to tie the game on its next possession and scored twice more in succession to take a 21-7 lead into halftime. “They were very well coached and their quarterback was smart enough to audible to our weak side every time,” PaliHi Coach Kelly Loftus said. “We had eight unforced errors in the first half. I stopped counting after that.” Brandon Quarles ran effectively in the first half for the Dolphins and, as a result, could see more carries in Palisades’ next game at Granada Hills. Loftus admitted that limited practice time and not having played an option team before may have contributed to the lopsided score. “They ran the option about 80 percent of the time and they executed it well,” Loftus said. “There were a few times when we had two guys tackling someone who didn’t have the ball.” Peninsula, which plays in the Bay League, had lost its first two games to Santa Fe and Gardena Serra by six points each while Palisades was looking to rebound from a 35-0 loss to Santa Monica. “We’ve got to get things turned around quick,” Loftus said. “The next two games are critical for us. We want to have some momentum heading into league.”