SoFi So Good

Pali High Football Beats Fairfax on Senior Night to Wrap Up Perfect Regular Season and Earn Open Division Berth

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Every high school football player longs to play in an NFL arena someday and that became a reality for Palisades’ varsity team  October 30 when it hosted Fairfax on Senior Night at SoFi Stadium.

The primary concern for head coach Dylen Smith was keeping his players focused on the task at hand, not getting caught up in the moment. Two and a half hours later, the Dolphins left Inglewood with memories they’ll cherish forever and, as an added bonus, the Western League championship.

It was a struggle all the way against the team that entered the night in last place in the standings, but as it had done in nine previous games Palisades came out on top, 40-33, to finish the regular season undefeated for the first time since 2021, its first year under previous coach Chris Hyduke.    

“It’s amazing for this to happen my last year of high school,” senior defensive end Augie Evans said. “Talk about going out with a bang.. My phone’s been blowing up… I’ve taken all kinds of pictures. Practicing here a couple weeks ago helped us get used to the atmosphere and the field. We were going to do whatever it took  tonight. Every kid in LA dreams of playing at SoFi and look at us.”

Before kickoff Chargers President of Business Operations A.G. Spanos was presented with a football signed by all of the Dolphins prior to kickoff—their way of saying thank you for the franchise’s support of a program that has been unable to play or practice at Stadium by the Sea since the Palisades Fire. The Chargers who share the state-of-the-art venue with the LA Rams, donated $50,000 to help with equipment and operational costs, then in February the team was invited to the Chargers’ training facility in El Segundo for a workout.

Ex-actor and Pali QB Club’s own Stewart Wilson-Turner sang “God Bless America” after which fans in the lower level heard the familar voice of longtime Palisades announcer Steve Klima say: “Good evening Dolphins fans!”    

Once the action started, Pali High quarterback Jack Thomas picked up where he had left off six days earlier when he tossed a career-high seven touchdown passes in a 46-30 win at Hamilton.

This time, he had to wait a while to take his first snap because the  Lions marched 76 yards in 12 plays and took nearly eight minutes off the clock before scoring on their opening drive. It took Palisades six plays to answer as Thomas found Malachi Ross over the middle from 32 yards out to tie it 7-7. Fairfax regained the lead on its next possession but Thomas connected with Ross again on a three-yard slant to pull Palisades even and the teams headed to their locker rooms deadlocked 13-13.

The Dolphins came out on fire in the third quarter as Thomas and Demare Dezeurn hooked up on a 64-yard touchdown pass play. Thomas scampered 13 yards to complete a 97-yard drive on Palisades’ next possession. Two more touchdown passes to Dezeurn in the fourth quarter were enough to survive two late Lions scores as Thomas finished 14-0f-24 for 386 yards, upping his season totals to 3,147 yards, 42 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Dezeurn has 61 catches for 1,290 yards and 20 touchdowns and has two interception returns for touchdowns.   

Having won the league title the Dolphins now covet a bigger prize, their City Section title. They are seeded fourth in the Open Division and host No. 5 Garfield (8-2) in the quarterfinals Friday at 7 p.m. at Southwest College.

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