Sticking Together

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Winning championships has always been the standard at Palisads High. The Dolphins’ boys and girls lacrosse programs captured City Section titles last spring and were looking forward to defending their crowns. Instead, the season was over practically before it started, leaving senior team captains Reicher Bergstein and Clara Green to wonder what would have happened had things played out.    

“It’s a huge bummer for me, as I’m sure it is for all of my teammates and high school seniors across the country,” Bergstein said. “What I’ll miss most is spending time with my teammates, working out, playing the game we love, getting better and just having a great time.”

Bergstein relished his role as captain last year when Palisades won its fourth straight section trophy (and fifth in six seasons), then went on to claim the L.A. Invitational tournament title.

“Being a captain was a big deal for me—it really helped my confidence and made me a better player,” he said. “Taking on that extra responsibility forced me to step up physically, mentally and vocally. It was a lot of fun to take on that role. There’s no doubt in my mind we would’ve continued our City title streak. I believe this is the strongest team we’ve had in my four years at Palisades. The hard work, drive and desire to win that fueled our team this season would’ve made our success nearly inevitable.”

Bergstein has narrowed his college choices down to Michigan, Syracuse, UC Santa Barbara and UC Berkeley and should he end up at either of the UCs, he plans to play club lacrosse.

“Two memories from playing lacrosse at Pali really stand out and both were last year,” he recalls. “The first was our victory over Sierra Canyon. They were ranked No. 7 in Southern California; we were No. 12 and hadn’t beaten a Top 10 team in the history of our program so we were huge underdogs. In the final minutes of the game we were tied, thanks to a comeback hat trick of goals by fellow senior Alessandro Caso. With 10 seconds left I passed to junior Ethan Rubin for the winning goal. The second memory was our victory over Brentwood in the finals of the Invitational playoffs. It was our program’s first regional victory so it was great to be part of.”

Until eighth grade Bergstein was an avid baseball player and also loved football, playing  both at the Palisades Recreation Center’s Field of Dreams. He began playing lacrosse year-round and eventually gave up other sports. His family moved to the Palisades from Santa Monica when he was in fourth grade and they lived in the El Medio Bluffs until last summer when they moved to the Highlands, where they are now.

“Since school has been canceled I’ve done my best to stay in shape by running in the hills, doing home workouts and eating well. I’ve kept busy playing guitar, which has become an obsession since being locked in the house. It’s a difficult time for everyone but I’m making the best of the situation.”

Green, girls co-captain with Renee Wolf, was determined to lead the Dolphins to a repeat after they defeated their nemesis Birmingham for their first City Section championship last May.   

“While the entire scenario has been difficult, the hardest part is not being able to play alongside some of my closest friends for the last time,” Green confessed. “I met my best friends through Palisades lacrosse so it’s quite upsetting we won’t be taking the field together again.”

She too cherishes her spot as  captain and was optimistic about the team’s postseason fate.

“Being a captain means taking initiative when no one else will and being a role model for your teammates,” added Green, who plays attack (offense). “ While we did lose the majority of our starting lineup from last year, I had faith we’d still end up with a solid record since our team as a whole is so talented and determined.”

In the fall, Green will attend Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA and will be trying out for the Bulldogs’ Division II lacrosse team. She is excited to have the opportunity to take her lacrosse career to the next level.

“My fondest memory at Pali goes back to my freshman year when we were playing Agoura and it was a really tough game,” she said. “Suddenly, my coach put me in even though I was one of the youngest and newest players. I was terrified but I played just like I’d been practicing. I was honored to be able to play in that game and it increased my confidence in my skills and allowed me to succeed.”

Green grew up playing basketball and played for Pali her first two years in addition to four years of lacrosse. She started out at Pali Elementary and moved on to Paul Revere Middle School. She lives in the Alphabet Streets.

“I’ve taken this time to try some new workouts I wouldn’t ordinarily do, like dance cardio,” she said. “I’ve also been riding my bike a lot and I’ve done some kickboxing. I try to exercise every day to keep my mind and body functioning. Outside of exercise,  I’ve done lots of art and I’ve even started doing some preparation for college. I’ve talked to my coach  quite a bit as well as a decent amount of my teammates. We’ve done a couple zoom calls and our coach has given us some stick tricks and workouts to do every couple of days.”