Butler’s Pick-Six Keys Charter Bowl Victory

Palisades Survives Late Rally to Defeat Host Granada Hills for Fourth Year in a Row, 39-34

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

When his opportunity came in the fourth quarter Friday night, Aaron Butler didn’t let it pass… instead he ran with it all the way to the end zone.

Granada Hills was threatening to pull within five points with plenty of time left when the junior safety who wears No. 1 intercepted a pass at the goal line and sprinted 100 yards for a touchdown, providing the separation Palisades High’s varsity football team needed to escape with a 39-34 victory in the 10th annual Charter Bowl at John Elway Stadium.

“I was at the right place at the right time,” Butler said. “I have to give it up to my defense for having them force that pass on me,” Butler said. “I just saw it and reacted. I know my teammates have my back and I have theirs so I was going to take it all the way for them.”

The 14-point swing gave Palisades a seemingly safe 39-20 lead with 4:41 remaining, but the Dolphins had to endure a few tense moments before the clock ran out.

Granada Hills quarterback Ernie Guevara threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Tanner to cut the deficit to 12 points with 2:43 to go.

Then the Highlanders recovered an onside kick, marched down the field and scored again on Guevara’s seven-yard strike to Mason Thomas that narrowed the gap to five points with 1:10 remaining.

A second onside kick squirted out of bounds, giving the Dolphins the ball at midfield and three kneel downs later it was finally over. Palisades evened its record at 2-2 and improved to 6-4 in a series that began in 2006.

“They kept driving the ball on us,” Butler said. “We have to step up on defense and get a little more pressure on the quarterback.”

Butler started out as a wide receiver but credits Pali High assistant coach (and former Dolphins quarterback) Ray Elie with teaching him the nuances of cornerback and safety. Had the Highlanders gotten the ball back one last time, Butler was ready.

“I was very confident,” he said. “This defense… we don’t quit, we fight hard.”

All-City quarterback P.J. Hurst looked the part in the first half, completing 13 of 18 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns – including scoring throws of 30 and 35 yards to tight end Gersan Osorio – but he struggled in the second half, completing only two passes and fumbling deep in Palisades territory. He finished 15 of 25 for 353 yards.

Ryan Ashmore had eight receptions for 182 yards and one touchdown, Osorio added three catches for 88 yards and Jake Taitelman had an eight-yard touchdown catch that gave the Dolphins a 26-13 lead with 36 seconds left in the first half.

Innocent Okoh had 93 yards rushing in nine carries and caught two passes for 68 yards for the Dolphins, who took a 32-13 lead on Stone Maderer’s six-yard run on the first possession of the second half.

“It’s a four-quarter game – every minute matters and that’s what we preach,” Hyde said. “You can look at it one way and say we let them back in it, but they have the best kicker in the City who makes you have to go 80 yards every time, which isn’t easy.”

“You have to celebrate every win and one thing that’s hard is winning on the road – especially in a trophy game like this,” added Hyde, who improved to 3-0 in the Charter Bowl. “I have tons of respect for their program.”

All-City linebacker Alec Simpson had 11 tackles, Marrio Lofton added 10, Willy Rosenfeld had two and a half sacks and Kaelynn Lamothe scored on an interception return in the first quarter but the play was nullified by a pass interference penalty.

Guevara completed 29 of 39 passes for 321 yards and four touchdowns but it wasn’t enough to prevent the host Highlanders (1-4) from dropping their fourth straight in the rivalry between the City Section’s first two charter schools.