Lessons Learned

PPBA Mustang and Bronco Teams Still Alive in Pony Playoffs after Weekend Tournaments 

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

There are a lot of new faces on the Palisades High football team this year, which is hardly a surprise given that 32 players from last year’s City semifinalist team graduated. However, there are new stars on the horizon and one player who impressed at Saturday’s Culver City Passing Tournament was junior wideout Sean Grier, a first-year player full of confidence after making 14 receptions, four of them for touchdowns, in five games. He scored two of the team’s three TDs in a 22-20 triumph over South Gate and added one in a loss to San Pedro—the team that dealt the Dolphins their only defeat in 2021 in the Open Division playoffs.

“He’s going to be special for us,” Dolphins assistant coach Tharen Todd said. “Yes, he’s new to football but you wouldn’t know it by watching him play.”     

Recognizable in his bright orange Adizero cleats, the 6-2, 195-pound soccer player with 4.6 speed has found the switch to another sport surprisingly easy.

“I decided I can definitely do this,” said Grier, who attended Paul Revere Middle School and lives in Baldwin Hills. “I can run the routes, catch the ball and conditioning-wise it’s an easy tranition from soccer.     

“I tried basketball at Pali last winter but I like being outside where you have more space to run and I prefer the physical contact in football.”

When it comes to experience, head coach Chris Hyduke conceded that this year’s group is as green as it gets. In fact, when the day began only five players had even participated in a 7-on-7 before. So the focus for he and his staff was more on the Jimmys and Joes than the Xs and Os.   

“No doubt we got better today,” varsity linebackers coach Jeremy Read said after the Dolphins lost to eventual runner-up Loyola 16-8 in the quarterfinals despite a touchdown catch by Ghamani Andrews. “We have another chance to prove ourselves next week [at the El Camino Real Tournament]. 

Despite missing two of its best route runners in tight end Cameron Kohan and receiver Braydon Sanford, Palisades won two games and avenged its pool play setback to Antelope Valley with a 20-14 victory in the round of 16 thanks to two slant-in catches for scores by Chris Washington, a leaping grab by senior captain Marcus Brown and a third TD by Anthony Lieberman.    

Quarterbacks Roman La Scala ( a junior) and Bett Federman (a sophomore) were teammates on JV last year and each showed poise in the pocket Saturday.

“We’re both very competitive and push each other,” said La Scala, who saw action in two varsity games last fall then helped the Dolphins’ lacrosse team win the City title in the spring.