Uni-fying Victory

PaliHi Varsity Football Notches First Victory of Season

It is amazing how much confidence one win can produce. Especially when it is the first for a team that had endured its share of heartbreaks all season. Last Friday night, however, the only tears shed were tears of joy, as the Dolphins scored twice early in the third quarter and hung on to beat host University, 20-15, for their first win in eight tries. “For once we made the big plays when we had to at the end,” Head Coach Kelly Loftus said, dripping from head to toe after being doused with a bucket of ice water by several of his players. “The defense got some key turnovers and the offense executed down the stretch.” Joe Brandon exemplified the Dolphins’ heart and determination on the final series. On third-and-seven at the Wildcats’ 20-yard line, he did his best Larry Csonka impersonation, stiff-arming and dragging tacklers for a first down. He even lost one of his shoes on the play but still picked up the yardage necessary to move the chains and enable Palisades to run out the clock. “It feels amazing to finally get a win,” Brandon said. “They had me by the ankles but I wiggled out of it. I had the whole team on my back and I was going to carry it all the way to the end zone if I had to.” Wide receiver Kevin Mann made the catch that brought Palisades’ offense to life late in the first half. Trailing 8-0, Mann ran a streak down the left sideline, grabbed a well-timed pass from quarterback Branden Sanett, broke to the inside and raced 56 yards for a touchdown. After University fumbled away the second half kick-off, Palisades wasted no time taking advantage. Sanett found Ben Ingram over the middle for a 28-yard touchdown that gave the Dolphins a 14-8 lead. Jeremy Smith intercepted a pass two plays later, setting up the most bizarre–and fortuitous–play of the game. Sanett threw to Aaron Ussery, who had the ball jarred loose as he crossed the goal line, but Mann recovered it in the back of the end zone and suddenly Palisades led 20-8. “I have to give him [Aaron] credit on that one,” Mann said. “I think he had possession in the end zone but we didn’t get the call. I was running parallel to him and just happened to be in the right place at the right time.” The victory not only eliminated the Dolphins’ goose egg, it kept their slim playoff chances alive and moved them into fourth place in the Western League heading into Friday’s homecoming game against Hamilton. University (0-8, 0-3) scored early in the fourth quarter to close the gap after kicker Bryan Rivas missed a 32-yard field goal on the Wildcats’ previous possession. “This feels great, just great,” linebacker and defensive captain Casey Jordan screamed as he emerged unharmed from the emotional post-game scrum. “Next is our last home game so we gotta’ give our fans something to cheer about,” Mann added. There was plenty for Loftus and his fellow coaches to cheer about. Malcolm Creer rushed for 101 yards in 11 carries, Brandon added 89 yards in 8 carries and Sanett, making his third start and second in a row, connected on 6 of 7 throws for 158 yards and accounted for all three of the Dolphins’ scores. Hakeem Jawanza had 12 tackles, Max Smith had 11, Ussery had nine and Jordan added eight. Samuel Robertson and Lawrence Villasenor each recovered a fumble. Palisades hosts Hamilton at 7 Friday night at Stadium by the Sea, preceded by the frosh/soph game at 4.