Dolphins Score Third Most Points Ever, Stay in Hunt for League Title
Ahead by eight points at halftime of last Friday afternoon’s game at Hamilton, Palisades High Coach Perry Jones told his team the score was zero-zero and to finish the game strong. The visiting Dolphins played as if their lives depended on it and buried the Yankees under an avalanche of points–33 to be exact–in finishing off a 63-36 victory that kept Palisades in the hunt for the Western League title. The single-game point total was the third highest in program history, behind only the 64 points put up against Hamilton in 1977 and a school-record 69-point barrage against Kilpatrick in 1999. So efficient was the Dolphins’ offense on Friday that they averaged over 1.3 points per minute–scoring at a torrid pace the Yankees simply could not match. “Coach reminded us at halftime that we have the whole second half to play, so let’s go out and make it ours,” said senior running back Hakeem Jawanza, who broke loose for a 43-yard touchdown to give the Dolphins a 15-7 lead late in the first quarter. “We knew we could play a whole lot better than we did in the first half if we just executed like we can.” Malcolm Creer and Arte Miura set the tone with dazzling kickoff returns in the third quarter as Palisades assumed tighter command with each successive score. Lawrence Villasenor batted a pass out of the air and intercepted it, then quarterback Nathan Dodson connected with wide receiver Kevin Mann along the sideline for a 32-yard gain that set up Miura’s touchdown run. Creer scored on Palisades’ next possession to increase the Dolphins’ lead to 56-36. After another turnover, Palisades needed just four plays to score again when Miura burst through the line, cut to the outside and ran 38 yards for a touchdown. Creer opened the scoring with an 11-yard run on Palisades’ first drive of the game and Alex Anastasi caught the trick two-point conversion pass for the quick 8-0 lead. Tailback Aaron Rogers answered less than 30 seconds later with a 65-yard run and the extra point brought Hamilton (2-4 overall 1-2 in league) to within one point. Then, it was Jawanza’s turn to show what he could do. Taking a handoff deep in the backfield, he eluded several would-be tacklers, burst through the line of scrimmage and sprinted to the end zone. Anastasi tacked on the extra point and Palisades led, 15-7. “I knew that I was going to get the ball just by the way they were lined up,” Jawanza said. “My main thing was not to go down from arm tackles and to just read my blocks well.” Rogers responded again with a 20-yard touchdown catch from Vasili Gardner that pulled Hamilton back to within a point, 15-14. That was as close as the Yankees would get the rest of the way. Miura scored on an 80-yard kickoff return in the second quarter and on a three-yard plunge that extended Palisades’ lead to 30-14 and the Dolphins carried a 30-22 advantage into intermission. “It was our first day game, which can be tricky, but I thought the team did a great job of handling it,” Jones said. “I was happy with how we were playing on offense, but I knew there were some things we needed to clean up defensively and some adjustments to make.” For the second time this season, the Dolphins (4-4, 2-1) evened up their record and now they will have to shift gears in a hurry to prepare for Friday’s home finale against Fairfax with sole possession of second place on the line. “It’s a huge game for us–the biggest one we’ve had so far,” Jawanza said. “And it’s our last home game so we just have to practice hard and be ready.” Palisades has scored 107 points in its last two games and 242 through eight games–an astonishing turnaround from last year when the Dolphins only scored 99 points all season. Jones is just happy that he rarely has to play anyone both ways anymore. “We’re almost all the way with two separate units now, which is much different than when we started,” he said. “We’re finding our stride but we’re not done improving by any stretch. This next game could decide if we make the playoffs so it’s huge.” Frosh/Soph Palisades routed host Hamilton 50-0 last Thursday and the Dolphins wasted little time taking command, driving 80 yards in 12 plays on their opening drive and scoring on a touchdown by Jack Jordan. Josh Yoo scored his very first touchdown of the season on an eight-yard run, Ernesto Ruiz scored his first on a four-yard dive, the defense intercepted three passes (including the first of the season by Yani Pakravan) and the special teams blocked four punts. Perhaps even more impressive is that Palisades scored touchdowns on all seven of its drives. Coach Ray Marsden was most pleased that everyone got to play. The Dolphins (5-3, 2-1) host Fairfax Friday at 4 p.m. at Stadium by the Sea.
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