Spring Begins for Dolphin Squads

Spring sports begin this week and Palisades High programs are poised to write the latest chapter to their school’s winning history. Below is an inside look at the teams and players that will thrill with their skill throughout the season: Baseball It will tough for Coach Mike Voelkel’s young squad to equal the 18-0 league record posted by last year’s varsity, but rising to meet challenges are what the Dolphins do best and after a difficult Winter Ball schedule it’s time to see how much the team has learned. Having lost six key starters, including All-City pitcher and Palisadian-Post Cup winner Jon Moscot, Palisades will have to battle to defend its Western League championship and earn a spot in the City’s Division I playoffs. “Westchester has its three best pitchers back and that team won [Division II] last year,” said Voelkel, whose squad finished 22-10-1 last season but was upset by Wilmington Banning in the first round of the playoffs. “Fairfax is much improved and Venice has their key guys back so it’s going to be a dogfight.” Pitcher/infielders Julian Achez and Adam Flores and fellow senior Ryan Kim, a Second-Team All-Western League infielder last year, lead a team Voelkel called “intelligent” and “enthusiastic.” Juniors include utility player Brad Schaeffer, outfielders Adam Levin, Chase Holmes and Josh Korn, catcher Jake Green, pitcher/infielders Nick Poulous and Dylan Jeffers, first baseman Phillip Joseph and infielder Chase Kaufman, sophomores are pitcher Hunter Varnum and catcher Cary Jacobson and the freshmen are catcher/outfielder Sam Wasserman and infielders Elliot Barzilli and Julian Harrison. “Defense and pitching are the constants,” Voelkel said. “Hitting–particularly situational hitting–is an area we’re working on diligently. This is by far the youngest team I’ve had yet.” Palisades played one of the hardest schedules in the City last year and figures to do so again with tournament games against Oaks Christian, Simi Valley Royal and Corona Centennial. The Dolphins open the season at George Robert Field against two City opponents in the Royal Tournament, first Sun Valley Poly at 3 p.m. Friday, then Granada Hills at 11 a.m. Saturday. Boys’ Golf Senior Devon Edwards and junior Jared Rosen will lead a young squad in the City 1A League, the toughest in the section with Granada Hills, El Camino Real, Cleveland, Taft and Chatsworth. Bo Jacobson, Sheldon Roberts and Chris Lee, the Dolphins’ three lowest scorers last year, all graduated. Sophomores Shane Ciacci, Sawyer Pascoe and Sam Jacoby might make the six-man rotation along with Larson Angelis, a transfer from Lake Arrowhead. Rosen, Edwards and Jacoby were in the lineup during City finals last season, with Edwards shooting 83 at Griffith Park’s Harding Course. Coach James Paleno’s team played its first nine holes against El Camino Real yesterday at Wilson Golf Course and tees it up against City runner-up Granada Hills next Wednesday at Knollwood Country Club. Lacrosse After sweeping the City Section’s inaugural championship tournaments last spring both the boys’ and girls’ varsity are poised to defend their titles with senior-laden squads. Coach Scott Hylen pilots a boys’ team that maintains its chemistry with attackers like Evan Shaner, Nate Cutler, Max Groel and Warren Satz, middies Charlie Bailey, Stephen Callas, Shane Centkowski, Kevin Mann, Sean Yazdi and Casey Jordan and defenders Juan Climaco and John Bolan. Also back is junior goalie Turner Hanley, last year’s team most valuable player. “We lost some key guys to graduation like David [Arzumanov], Chris [Hanuscin], Jake [Satz] and Ben [Malisoff],” said Hylen, whose team was undefeated against City opponents last year. “Otherwise we have a great group and we should have another great season.” The boys are already showing signs of that, doubling up Huntington Beach Marina 6-3 in a scrimmage last Saturday and routing host Culver City 11-2 on Monday, as Shaner scored three goals and Max Tinglof and Groel each added two. Keying the girls’ attack will be Molly and Megan Meek, Tessa Tinglof, Chelsea Bailey and Emma Carter. The play of middies Judy Borah, Christine Frapech and Sarah Thorsen and defenders Maddie Epstein, Sydney Ross and Annie Bateman will determine where Coach Juliet Mittleman’s team stands come the All-City Tournament May 8 at Birmingham High. Both varsity teams host Beverly Hills on Friday at Stadium by the Sea (girls at 4:30 p.m. and boys at 6:30). Softball Palisades went 11-9 and made the quarterfinals of the Invitational playoffs last season under first-year coach Ray Marsden and the Dolphins figure to be even stronger this year with senior catcher and captain Karina Perez, a Second-Team All-Western League choice last season. The Dolphins lost co-captains Noel Joy (center field) and Emily Noel (pitcher) to graduation but return power hitter Hannah Fagerbakke, third baseman Kayla Jones, first baseman Selma Cortez and outfielder Alexis Jefferson. “My goal is to keep building this program,” Marsden said. “We made progress last year and I’ve toughened our nonleague schedule which will help us come playoff time.” Palisades opens the season with a pair of Roosevelt Tournament games Saturday against Eagle Rock and Franklin and plays Culver City in its home opener next Tuesday. Swimming With Coach Maggie Nance on maternity leave, Palisades’ girls will seek to reclaim the City title under Adam Blakis and the Dolphins might just have the talent to pull it off. The girls’ attempt at a fourth straight crown was thwarted by Reseda Cleveland in the finals last May, but returning to anchor this year’s team are seniors Hayley Hacker (sprints and backstroke events), Shelby Pascoe (500 and 200 freestyle), Ana Silka (freestyle) and Hayley Lemoine (50 and 100 freestyle) along with juniors Zoe Fullerton (butterfly), Mara Silka (distance), Hannah Kogan (freestyle) and Sabrina Giglio (breaststroke). Palisades’ boys were fifth in the City last spring and could make noise again behind sophomore John Amis (50 and 100 freestyle), Shervin Ghaffari and the 200 medley relay. Andrew Hacker won the 200 frosh/soph freestyle and took second in the 50 backstroke in last year’s finals at USC. The Dolphins will get their feet wet at the Beverly Hills Invitational in two weeks. Boys’ Tennis When Palisades crushed Granada Hills 26 1/2 to 3 to reclaim the City title last year, Coach Bud Kling predicted it could be the start of a dynasty. Certainly the Dolphins will be overwhelming favorites to repeat and Kling figures to have his strongest team in a decade. The scary thing is, they may be even better this year than last year. “We’re going to have depth all the way through the lineup, that’s for sure,” said Kling, who has coached the boys to 17 team titles. “We have most of our starters back and we’re adding two really good players.” Despite the graduation of No. 1 singles player Justin Atlan and doubles players Spencer Lewin, Che Borja and Jeremy Shore. Returning are Kramer Waltke, who teamed with Borja to win the City Individual doubles title last season. Also back are Max Licona, Spencer Pekar, Kenneth Choi, Connor Fulgham and Oliver Thornton. Add to the mix senior Brett Alchorn, who trained the last two years at an academy in Florida, freshmen Robbie Bellamy and Alex Giannini, who teamed up to win the 16s division at the Copper Bowl in January. The Dolphins play in the Fresno Classic, where they beat City rival Woodland Hills Taft to win the Division II championship last year. Palisades will move up to compete in Division I this season. Western League play opens next Wednesday against University at Stoner Park. Also on the slate is the All-American Team Invitational at Corona del Mar and nonleague matches against Southern Section powerhouses Brentwood and Beverly Hills. Track & Field After strong representation at the City finals meet last year, the Dolphins’ varsity girls could challenge for the team title in May. That’s how deep and talented co-coach Ron Brumel believes his team is–and with good reason. Heading the all-star cast of returning performers is Erika Martin, who qualified for four finals events last season and has signed with Virginia Tech. A senior this year, Martin will compete in the 100 and 300 hurdles, high jump, long jump and possibly triple jump. Lauren Gustafson will be back in the 800 and long jump and younger sister Kendall from Paul Revere, who struck gold in the Pentathlon (100 hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump and 800 meters) and medaled in three individual events, placing third in the long jump (17′ 2″), fourth in the high jump (4′ 11″) and fourth in the 100 hurdles (15.25 seconds) at the USA Youth Nationals in July. Other returners include Jamie Greenberg, who won the frosh/soph division pole vault with a height of nine feet and Mariah Fisher, who was runner-up in the varsity high jump. “I think the girls have a good shot [at City],” said Brumel, who will share coaching duties with newly-hired football coach Perry Jones. “We have a lot of depth, the relays should be strong and we can score a lot of points in the field events.” The boys will be led by senior miler Carlos Bustamante, who ran a personal-best 4:23.63 at City finals last spring, and junior Kolmus Iheanacho, who took first place in the frosh/soph City shot put with a personal-best throw of 48′ 5.” Other runners to watch will be Eric Lopez, who won the City frosh/soph 800 meter race in a personal-best 2:01.60, sophomore Grant Stromberg and freshman Drake Johnston, who excelled in cross country in the fall and won the pole vault and ran fourth in the 3,000 meters at the Track City International Classic in Eugene, Oregon last summer. Boys’ Volleyball Call it a quest for redemption for Coach Chris Forrest and his boys’ varsity squad, which will try to regain the City title it relinquished last year in the semifinals to Granada Hills. Gone are First-Team All-City outside hitter Matt Hanley along with starting hitter Jordan Cohen, setter Wylie Janousek and libero Taylor Savage. Returning for his senior season, however, is outside hitter Kene Izuchukwu, who still made First-Team All-City despite sitting out much of last season with an injury. “I’m looking forward to the season starting,” Izuchukwu said. “Yes, we’re going to be a younger team but everyone has been practicing really hard so we should be ready to go. If we play to our potential I definitely think we can win City again.” Forrest was named City Coach of the Year after guiding the Dolphins to a perfect season on the way to their 10th section title in 2008. He begins his third season at the helm with a stellar 39-13-2 record and talented sophomores like defensive specialist Chance Earnest and outside hitter Alex Frapech and junior opposite/setters Jack Scharf and Denton Van Duzer. Palisades open the season today against Carson–the same opponent the Dolphins swept in their opener last year.