PaliHi Football Falls to Sierra Canyon

by Sue Pascoe
Editor

Opening their football season on Aug. 26 at the Stadium-by-the-Sea, Palisades High School had trouble moving the ball against a tough Sierra Canyon team, losing 36-0.

Sierra Canyon is ranked among the top 30 teams in the state and has several players that have been recruited by Division I schools, including quarterback Niko Harris (UC Davis), offensive tackle Kanan Ray (UCLA) and running back Bobby Cole (named one of the top-10 running backs in the Southland by the L.A. Times).

PaliHi Head Coach Tim Hyde was asked why he elected to start the season against Sierra Canyon, which was 14-1 last season.

Running back Stone Maderer looks to slip by the Sierra Canyon defense.

“I want my kids to compete against high achievers, kids who want to go someplace,” Hyde said at practice on August 29. “Sierra Canyon has only been around about a decade, but with them it’s all about championships.”

Sierra Canyon’s first touchdown came in the first three minutes after Harris threw a pass to Dylan Tait, who was tackled on Pali’s three yard line. A short pass to Leo Gomez resulted in the score. Harris went on to complete 12 of 13 passes for 206 yards and three additional touchdowns. Tait caught six passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns.

PaliHi’s promising offensive was basically grounded when quarterback Gabriel Galef went out with an injury in the first quarter. Running back Innocent Okah and tight end Jonah Manheim alternated in the position, but repeated penalties made it hard for the Dolphins to move the ball.

Palisades defense is ready to strike as Sierra Canyon sets.

“We made first-game mistakes,” Hyde said. “That’s why we play someone like a Sierra Canyon. We get a lot of stuff on film. Playing a team as hard as you can out of the gates, means you can correct it going forward.”

He was waiting to hear the doctor’s report on Galef’s knee injury.

The Dolphins travel to Sylmar this Friday, playing a team that edged them a year ago, 21-16. “They’re Division I like us,” Hyde said. “They’re one of the top 10 teams in the City and they will be in our playoff bracket.” Sylmar lost its first game to Crespi 38-0.