Pirates Pound Out Win

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

There was no quit in the Palisades High football team last Friday. The Dolphins fought hard but their season came to an end in a 33-17 loss to host San Pedro in the City Section Open Division semifinals.

“Five turnovers is too much to overcome against a team like this,” first-year coach Chris Hyduke said. “We didn’t have our top receiver, our running back isn’t close to 100 percent and we felt the nerves. We thought we could win, we had opportunities. It just wasn’t our night.”

Quarterback Sammy Silvia, who  began the game having thrown for 24 touchdowns and only two interceptions, was picked off three times, one of which was returned 34 yards for a touchdown by Elijah Thorp that put the No. 2-seeded Pirates up 13-0 early in the second quarter.   

Palisades set the school scoring record this season and was averaging 47 points per game, but against the best defense it had seen all year it could not finish drives. San Pedro set the tone early when linebacker Kain Parris intercepted a pass on the Dolphins’ fourth offensive play.

The Pirates drove 49 yards in seven plays to take a 7-0 lead on a nine-yard run by Christian Philips. It was the first time all season that Palisades did not score first.

Without 1,000-yard receiver Moses Ross, who had to sit out because of a positive COVID test, Palisades turned to Xavier Smith, who caught nine passes for nearly 100 yards. Daniel Anoh, badly slowed by an ankle sprain, was held under 100 yards for the second straight game but got his 21st rushing touchdown of the season on a three-yard run to pull Palisades within 27-17 early in the fourth quarter. He totaled over 1,400 yards on the ground this fall.      

Josh Russell’s three-yard plunge trimmed the Dolphins’ deficit to 13-7, marking the first points San Pedro had allowed in 17 quarters.

Giovanni Ferrero’s 19-yard field goal pulled Palisades within 13-10 midway through the second quarter, but it was as close as the visitors got.

Chris Nixon’s 35-yard touchdown pass from Aidan Jackson increased the Pirates’ lead to 20-10 at halftime.

The Dolphins had won a school-record 14 straight games (11 this season and its last three in the spring). They were hoping to reach the City finals for the first time since 1987 when they lost the 3A title game.