Smith Has Coached Both Sides of Neighborhood Rivalry Game

Asked if he enjoyed coaching against his mentor Jake Ford last Friday night, Dylen Smith grinned and said: “The first half of it, yes.”

Smith was on Ford’s staff at Brentwood for nine seasons before being hired as Palisades’ 13th head coach in February.

“It felt weird getting off the bus and being on the visiting sideline,” he said. “I spent so many hours on this field with Coach Ford and Coach Humphries. They know me well and I know them so we basically knew what both teams were going to do.”

Ford has piloted Brentwood for 10 years and coached Smith when he was the quarterback at Santa Monica High in the mid-1990s.

“I love this rivalry but coaching against him makes it not quite as fun,” Ford said. “I’m happy he’s gotten a chance to run his own program.”

Smith got a pleasant surprise afterwards when one by one Brentwood players hugged him and wished him luck at his new school.

“Coach Smith isn’t an enemy at all,” Brentwood tight end Dylan Karz said. “I spent countless hours with him and so have other guys. We miss him and wanted to thank him for all he’s done for our team.”

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