By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
Ever since his team lost to Fairfax by one point last year, Palisades High junior varsity football coach Ray Marsden vowed to get even. The Dolphins had their chance last Friday afternoon and they did more than get even, they put together four quarters of near flawless football in blanking the Lions 45-0 on their home turf.
“That’s the hardest I’ve ever seen a JV team hit from whistle to whistle,” Marsden said. “I was confident we would make the pain of last season go away and did we ever. We played well in all phases, six different guys scored a touchdown and best of all we kept them off the scoreboard.”
Palisades set the tone on its opening drive, marching 56 yards in nine plays and taking a 7-0 lead scoring on Kenneth Cline’s five-yard run and Tommy Meek’s point-after kick.
After Fairfax went three-and-out, Palisades got the ball back and proceeded to drive 43 yards in five plays, capped by Tayari Gloster’s nine-yard scoring run.
Near the end of the first half, Forrest Brock rolled right and hit tight end David Leitz for a touchdown and on a fake kick Eli Manheim threw to Leitz for the two-point conversion to make it 21-0.
The second half was more of the same. Meek booted a 28-yard field goal and, after a Chandler Hooks interception, the Dolphins drove 62 yards in 13 plays, scoring on a 10-yard pass from Nick Ghysels to tight end Weston Rauschuber that made it 31-0.
Christian Duran reached behind him to pick off a pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Alec Baron intercepted a pass on the Lions’ next possession and then, with Palisades players chanting “40!” from the sideline, Isaias Alegria got them there with a 10-yard run to close out the scoring.
“For the first time we didn’t lose a single player to ineligibility,” Marsden said. “These kids are smart, they’re coachable and it’s the most complete team I’ve had.”
Palisades has five shutouts in seven games and has outscored its last three opponents 125-0. These Dolphins sure love doughnuts.
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