By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
During the weekly grind, there was always another team to prepare for, a new scheme to devise, a play or matchup to try that might gain the slightest advantage over that week’s opponent. Now that the 2021 football season has come to end, however, Palisades High first-year coach Chris Hyduke can finally reflect on all he and the Dolphins accomplished.
Hyduke enjoyed the most successful debut season of any head coach in program history, guiding the Dolphins to 11 victories, their most since 1976, the outright Western League title and their first Open Division playoff win. Only four of the school’s 12 head coaches have posted a winning record their first year and Hyduke is only the second to win a postseason game, joining Perry Jones, who piloted Palisades to the City Division II semifinals in 2010 after going 5-5 in the regular season and second place in league.
Photos: Steve Galluzzo
“It was a team effort all the way,” said Hyduke, who took the reins after serving as defensive coordinator under previous coach Tim Hyde, who had played for him at Redondo Union. “We were able to keep our staff together, which was key. We brought in Rocky [Montz] to run the offense with [Pali High alum] Jonah Manheim and they did a great job!”
Manheim quarterbacked the Dolphins to the Division I quarterfinals in 2016. His brother Toby led the team in tackles this fall at linebacker nd their mom is President of the Quarterback Club. Palisades racked up a school-record 530 points this season and scored 60 in a playoff game for the first time.
Johnny Garcia was the line coach and Jeremy Read worked with the linebackers and defensive backs.
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