‘Senioritis’ is a disease that afflicts many athletes at the high school level, especially those who have already committed to college. Not that Dylan Cohen would know anything about that. While many of his peers have celebrated their waning days at Palisades with parties and field trips, Cohen spends three hours a day in the weight room, preparing himself for next season. He won’t walk the aisle to receive his diploma until tonight, but the Palisades High senior has been focused on his future since the school year began in September. And it is that same focus, hard work and desire to be the best he can be that earned Cohen the Palisadian-Post Cup Award as this year’s outstanding athlete at last Friday night’s senior awards banquet. ‘I figured I was a candidate to win, but there are a lot of good athletes at this school,’ Cohen says. ‘But I’m very proud to be part of the tradition. It’s a good way to end my career.’ It is hard enough to excel in one sport, let alone two, yet Cohen was the starting quarterback, punter and placekicker on the varsity football team and the starting shortstop on the Dolphins’ baseball team. He set two goals for himself prior to the start of the season, both of which he accomplished by year’s end. ‘First, I wanted to make All-City in both sports and secondly I wanted to get accepted to a Division I school,’ Cohen says. ‘I’m glad that everything has worked out the way it did.’ That happened not by chance, but because of Cohen’s commitment to his craft and his teammates, even throughout a frustrating football season during which the Dolphins won only one of 10 games. Still, Cohen never complained and displayed a leadership in the huddle that his fellow players respected and his coaches appreciated. ‘A lot of people have asked me why I’ve played two sports instead of focusing on just one,’ Cohen says. ‘I’m glad I did both and I would do it again if I had the choice. Not a lot of kids can say they were All-City in two sports.’ And though he will focus on baseball at the University of San Diego next spring, Cohen insists playing football has helped his mentality and focus on the baseball diamond as well. ‘You need strong legs for football, so I’ve gotten a lot stronger because of it. And I’m not afraid to get in front of a hard hit ground ball because I’m used to taking big hits from big guys in football. So I’m not afraid of being hurt by a little white ball, no matter how fast it’s coming.’ After three months of tossing spirals and booming kicks on the football field, Cohen switched to firing strikes to first base and blasting home runs over outfield fences. He was one of the most productive players in the City Section this season, batting .603 with 47 hits, 37 RBIs, eight home runs and eight doubles. His slugging percentage was an impressive 1.115 and he struck out only six times in 78 plate appearances. ‘We would not have had the success we did this year without Dylan,’ PaliHi baseball coach Tom Seyler says. ‘He has been the cornerstone of our program for four years and we’re going to miss him.’ Reflecting back on the season, Cohen cites a home run he hit against defending champion Chatsworth in the City Section quarterfinals as his fondest memory. ‘That’s something I’ll remember for a long time. It was just exciting to do that against a team of that stature.’ Cohen lives in Venice but enjoyed his experience at PaliHi. Though he hasn’t decided on a major, his favorite subject is psychology. He credits English teacher Ms. Capelli for teaching him to write well and he also enjoyed John Lissauer’s government class. ‘I’ll miss the diversity of the student body and all the good friendships I’ve made,’ he says. Though heavily recruited by bigger schools, Cohen chose the University of San Diego because Toreros coach Rich Hill told him he will have a great opportunity right from the start to keep doing what he loves best’play baseball. ‘The main reason I picked USD is because I’ll be competing for a spot at second or third base right away,’ Cohen says. ‘That’s what I wanted to hear. All you can ask for is a chance and that’s what I’m being given. That program also places a lot of emphasis on preparing players for the pros, which is eventually where I want to get.’ As much fun and success as he has enjoyed the last four years, Cohen is looking forward to facing the challenges of the future. ‘I’m ready to move on. I’ve been preparing myself for the next step since the beginning of my senior year. My goal for next year is to start as a freshman and I think I can.’ No one at Palisades will be surprised if he does just that.
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