Last Sunday, December 28, Daniel Leff was interrupted from his carwashing business by two men in their 20s, who accosted him while he was walking from a customer’s house in the 700 block of Haverford. According to the LAPD report, the armed robbery occurred at 3 p.m. Leff has several customers in the 600 to 700 blocks of Haverford. He washed cars at their homes and was walking from one house to another, carrying his bucket of tools, when two African-American men accosted him two doors north of Carthage on the west side of Haverford. One of the suspects asked Leff for the time and then told him that he was robbing him. The other suspect produced what appeared to be the barrel of a gun from under his clothing. Leff handed over $125 in cash and the suspects fled on foot. According to Haverford resident Warren Cereghino, Leff lamented that “what really hurts is that I’m poor.” The remark inspired Cereghino to go door to door to raise money to help out. Nine Haverford residents collected $140 to cover Leff’s loss. An LAPD car from Hollywood Division arrived an hour after the incident to complete the report,” said Senior Lead Officer Chris Ragsdale, adding that the car assigned to Pacific Palisades and Brentwood was unavailable. “We believe it is an isolated, random incident,” said Ragsdale, who added that the incident had no connection to the armed robbery in the lower El Medio area last month, nor any other reported street crimes.
A Tree Falls on Earlham
David Stafford, a graduate student in Santa Barbara, was visiting his parents on Christmas day when a towering eucalyptus tree at the corner of Earlham and Mt. Holyoke (left), was knocked down in the high winds and rain at 2:30 p.m., pulling up the grassy area of the parkway and a bit of the sidewalk. The tree narrowly missed Stafford’s parked car, and did not cause any damage. A city crew came out at about 3 a.m. and cut off the edge of the tree so that one car at a time could get by. Two days later, a chainsaw crew came out and cut the tree into little pieces. Then the chipper crew came Monday to discard the wood. As of Tuesday, residents were still waiting for crews to take away the stump and repair the sidewalk. On Tuesday morning, the stump of the tree and several logs were still in the street, surrounded by orange-and-white barriers and some yellow police tape. A platform used as a tree fort, that Stafford and other neighborhood children had played in over a decade ago, was lying next to the stump. Photo: David Stafford
Coaches of the Year
Palisades High tennis coach Bud Kling and Marymount High volleyball coach were equally deserving of coach of the year honors in 2003 after leading their teams to the finals in their sports. When the Dolphins’ girls squad defeated Crossroads 15-3 in September, Kling joined an elite group by notching his 700th career victory. Kling has coached the Pali boys program since 1980 and the girls every year but one since 1984, posting a 712-69 record-a winning percentage of 91 percent. “I’m not the first tennis coach to reach this milestone,” Kling said. “But I might be the first from the City Section. We generally don’t play as many matches as Southern Section schools, so I guess this is a big accomplishment from that standpoint.” Kling led both the Pali boys and girls teams to the City finals in 2003, though neither won the championship. In all, he has coached the Dolphins to 24 titles and his teams have averaged almost 17 wins a season. Kling was voted state coach of the year in 1998 by the National Federation of Interscholastic Coach’s Association. In just six seasons, fellow Palisadian Cari Klein has built the Marymount High volleyball program into a national power. And the 2003 team may just be her best yet, winning 35 out of 36 matches on its way to a fourth straight CIF Division IV state championship-the most consecutive state titles in one division by any school. Sure, Klein’s teams are loaded with talent, but she deserves credit for scheduling the Sailors against the toughest competition year in and year out. That a private all-girls campus like Marymount (with an enrollment of 400 students) can compete-and routinely beat-schools five times its size is as telling as Klein’s remarkable 174-18 record. The key to her success is not getting complacent, even after winning 91 percent of the matches she has coached at Marymount. “Every year is unique and every team you play wants to knock you off,” Klein says. “This particular team responded to every challenge and it was a really easy team to coach. These players were self-motivated. They wanted to win as much as I wanted them to win.” Marymount became the first Southern California school to win the Durango, Torrey Pines and Archbishop Mitty tournaments-three of the toughest on the West Coast-in the same season.
Top 10 Stories of 2003
Compiled by STEVE GALLUZZO
1. Rec Center’s “Field of Dreams” No sporting event in the Palisades in 2003 was more important or carried as much long-term impact as the completion of the “Field of Dreams” renovation project at the Palisades Recreation Center. The new fields were inaugurated by AYSO soccer teams in November, culminating a three-month long, community-funded project that was several years in the making. The $950,000 project was spearheaded by Mike Skinner, a longtime Palisades resident and youth coach. It included new bleachers, new turf and new dugouts and installing fences around the baseball diamonds. The entire town will benefit, as the fields are used practically year-round by youth organizations like AYSO, flag football and the Palisades Pony Baseball Association. Skinner’s committee hopes to hold an official grand opening of the fields at the PPBA’s annual pancake breakfast in March.
2. PaliHi Swim Teams Sweep City The dynasty continued in 2003 for the Dolphins, who swept the City Section swimming championships for the second year in a row. Longtime head coach Merle Duckett retired shortly after, making Pali’s victory all the more sweet. Sophomore Sean McDevitt led the boys, winning the 50 Freestyle and anchoring two relays. Pali’s victory was convincing, as the team accumulated 253 points to outdistance San Pedro (189) and Cleveland (138). Pali’s depth was evident by the results of the 500 Freestyle race, where the Dolphins qualified three swimmers. Senior captain Greg Walther finished third in 5:12.01, David Nonberg was fourth in 5:24.70 and Daniel Fox was sixth in 5:31.86. Other standout performances included Brian Johnson’s second-place finish in the 100 Backstroke and Nonberg’s third-place finish in the 100 Butterfly. The 200 Freestyle Relay team, consisting of Gavin Jones, Nonberg, Walther and McDevitt, won in 1:34.14 and the 400 Freestyle Relay team finished second in 3:28.25. Pali’s girls won just as easily, racking up 277 points to finish ahead of Cleveland (240), El Camino Real (182), Taft (118) and Marine League rival Venice (117). Cara Davidoff, a junior, led the way with All-American times in the 50 Freestyle (24.10) and 100 Freestyle (52.31) events. The Dolphins’ 200 Freestyle Relay team of Laura Johnson, Shira Frankel, Sheri Dunner and Davidoff took first place by over two seconds in 1:45.29. The 400 Freestyle Relay team finished third and Johnson was second in the 100 Breaststroke in 1:11.22. Luiza Campos won the 100 Backstroke and Frankel was fourth. Senior Stephanie Powers was third in the 500 Freestyle. Caitlin Owens was third in the 200 Freestyle and fourth in the 100 Butterfly. Georgia Hamilburg won the consolation finals in the 200 Individual Medley and Wishan was fourth in the 100 Butterfly.
3. Palisadians Win Will Rogers 5K Undeterred by scorching conditions, Peter Gilmore set a new Palisades- Will Rogers 5K course record for the second straight year, crossing the finish line in 14:10-eight seconds better than his previous record. It was Gilmore’s sixth 5K victory and he has set the course record on four occasions. “My goal is to break 14 minutes,” said Gilmore, who grew up in the Palisades but now lives in Menlo Park, where he trains with the Nike Farm team. “The heat isn’t really a factor in a short race like this. I figured I had to run the first two miles in nine minutes to have a chance. I ran them in 9:07, so I knew at that point it would be tough to break 14. I’ll probably try it one more time next year, then switch to the 10K.” Gilmore won the Post Cup Award as outstanding senior athlete at PaliHi in 1995 and went on to run cross country and track at UC Berkeley. He ran his first-ever marathon in Chicago last year, finishing in 2:21:48. Fellow Palisadian Kara Barnard won the women’s 5K for the fifth time, finishing 11th overall in 17:02. She won the 5K four straight times from 1997 through 2000, when she ran her best time of 16:50. Barnard switched to the 10K in 2001 and 2002 and won it both times, but the heat convinced her to stick to the 5K this year. “It was fun-it’s the fourth of July, I couldn’t miss this,” Barnard said. “What would the Fourth of July be like without the race?” Besides Gilmore and Barnard, several local runners won their age divisions in the 5K, including Peter’s mom, 63-year-old Rita Gilmore, who ran the 3.1 miles in 27:13. Gregory Myerson, 12, won the youngest men’s division in 22:37 while 16-year-old Ryan Gordon won his age division and finished fifth overall in 16:17. John Holcomb placed atop the 45-49 category in 17:03, finishing one second behind Barnard. Palisades’ kickboxing champion, Baxter Humby, placed 17th in the 5K in 17:33. Elizabeth Farnan finished first in the 30-34 age division in 19:57. The Riley family once again pulled off a trifecta in the 5K. John Riley finished first in the men’s 55-59 division in 20:15 while his wife, Bev Lowe, did the same in the women’s 45-49 division in 20:49. Daughter Ali, a standout in soccer and track at Harvard-Westlake, was first in the women’s 13-15 age group in 19:48. Kimberly Selby, 30, was the first Palisadian to finish the 10K, placing fifth overall in 42:27. Palisadian Maria Marrone placed first in the 45-49 division of the 10K with a time of 46:12. Three local runners won their age divisions in the men’s 10K. Ethan Meyers was first in the 13-15 division with a time of 38:04. Mervyn Cooper, 65, who has qualified for the Boston Marathon in April and will run the New York Marathon in November 2004, won his division in 54:18. In the 70-74 age group, Palisadian Andrew Martin won the 70-74 took first in 53:58. Palisades Bike Shop owner Ted Mackie, who has run almost every race since 1978, finished fourth in the 70-74 division of the 10K, completing the course in 1:00:43.
4. PaliHi Volleyball Wins 22nd Title Hanging in the gym at Palisades High are the banners of all the schools’ City championships. The girls volleyball team has accounted for 22 of those titles, including the one it captured in November at Occidental College in Eagle Rock. The Lady Dolphins won their first City title since 1999 by besting Granada Hills 25-19, 25-13, 18-25, 25-19 in head coach John Caravella’s first season. Palisades had reached the finals two seasons before, but lost in five games to Van Nuys. This time, Pali finished the job. “I’ve been wanting this for two years and now I’ve finally got it. It feels great,” said PaliHi senior defensive specialist Tracy Takemura, who finished with 20 digs and two aces. The match was the culmination of a season’s worth of hard work for the third-seeded Dolphins (16-1), who won 16 consecutive matches after losing their season opener to Sylmar in five games. Setter Diana Grubb ran the offense expertly en route to 28 assists, three kills and two aces. Senior Allison Houpt led the Dolphins with 13 kills while Ann Marie Barrette and Natasha Vokhshoori each had six kills and junior Stephanie Vaughan added five kills and an ace.
5. Nissan Open Playoff at Riviera Mike Weir shot a five-under-par 66 on the final day of the Nissan Open to overcome a seven-stroke deficit and beat Charles Howell III in a playoff in one of the most exciting finishes ever at Riviera Country Club’s famed golf course. “Everything went right for me today. I made some key putts on difficult holes,” said Weir, who walked away with the winners’ check of $810,000 and his second PGA title of the year. “Charles is a great player and he’ll have plenty of chances, as good as he is.” What made Weir’s effort improbable was the fact that he had failed to make the cut in four previous tries at Riviera. Like so many of his peers, Weir considers Riviera one of the best stops on the PGA Tour and said the course was as challenging as it’s ever been. “It says something when a course this old is still one of the hardest we have on tour. It’s a tremendous golf course and, in my opinion, the prototype of how a course should be designed.” After both players made par on the first playoff hole-the par-four 18th-Howell III hooked his drive on the 10th tee into a bunker. Weir hit the fairway. Howell III recovered by chipping his second shot within six feet and Weir’s second shot rolled to a halt eight feet from the hole. Weir calmly sank his birdie putt and when Howell III tapped his try left of the hole, he had to settle for the runner-up prize of $486,000. Lost amid the excitement of the playoff was Tiger Woods’ final round 65-the lowest score of the tournament and equal to Woods’ best round ever at Riviera. After shooting a 73 on Saturday, the world’s No. 1 player found himself in an unfamiliar position-11 strokes back and out of contention on Sunday. He finished tied for fifth with K.J. Choi with a four day total of 278-three strokes behind the leaders. Fred Funk, who held the lead after Thursday’s first round, tied for third with Nick Price at seven-under-par, Fred Couples finished at five-under-par and defending champion Len Mattiace tied Chad Campbell at four-under par. The playoff was the first at the Nissan Open since 1998, when Woods lost to Billy Mayfair at Valencia Country Club in Santa Clarita.
6. PaliHi Baseball Takes City Invitational The “feel good” story of the year may have been the Palisades High baseball team’s improbable run to the City Invitational championship in coach Russ Howard’s final season. The seventh-seeded Dolphins routed fourth-seeded Granada Hills 10-0 in five innings in the finals at Dodger Stadium behind a one-hitter from senior left-hander Dylan Forrester and a near home run to left field by sophomore shortstop Dylan Cohen. “The feeling I have is indescribable,” senior outfielder Jeff Megee said afterward. “It’s been a dream of mine since I was three years old to play at Dodger Stadium. When we got on the bus [assistant coach] Kelly Loftus said ‘Let’s win this one for Howard’ and we went out there and did it.” A questionable decision by the official scorer on a hard ground ball to third base in the fourth inning was all that separated Forrester from a no-hitter. He pitched with poise, striking out four, walking two and allowing three fly balls to the outfield. Palisades (21-9) got stellar defensive play from Cohen, second baseman Matt Skolnick and right fielder Byron Brooks. Evan Reis, Spencer Kirksey, Adam Franks, Niles Cook and Ron Michel all had key hits in the final. “Yeah, it’s cool to be able to end it like this,” said Howard, who announced before the playoffs that he was stepping down after 18 seasons to spend more time with his family. “We finished the season playing great baseball. Through the ups and downs, we never gave up. That’s the mark of a good team.” Howard leaves several lasting legacies at Palisades. He was responsible for having the Dolphins’ field named after George Robert, a former PaliHi teacher and longtime athletics supporter who died of a heart attack in May 2002 at the age of 86. Howard also initiated the program’s chief fundraiser, the annual alumni game, which he started when he took over for Jerry Marvin in 1987.
7. Palisadian-Post Tennis Open The third annual Palisadian-Post Tennis Open in September and October was the biggest and best yet. Palisades Tennis Center pro Eric Horine organized a stellar event, which featured local players in 16 age divisions. Played exclusively on courts throughout the Palisades, the tournament’s men’s Open final featured a rematch between last year’s champion and finalist. This time, PTC pro Francisco Franceschini beat defending champion Ross Loel in three thrilling sets. Other winners included Alex Baettig (boys’ 10s), Brian Alle (boys’ 12s), Chase Pekar (boys’ 14s), Matt Dubin (boys’ 14s), Arden Shore (girls’ 10s), Emily Keating (girls’ 12s), Yasmir Navas (girls’ 16s), Alan Greenburg (men’s 3.5), Danny Sembello (men’s 4.5) and Heidi Wessels (women’s 3.5).
8. Falcon Volleyball Squads Repeat St. Matthew’s eighth-grade boys and girls’ volleyball teams both won the Junior Delphic League championship for the second consecutive year. In June, the Falcon boys’ squad rallied to defeat Calvary Christian, 10-15, 15-3, 15-13 in the final. Seeded third, St. Matthew’s beat second-seeded Chaminade in the semifinals. “Knowing Calvary was going to come out tough and give us a solid match and also knowing it was the finals, I think the guys came out a little tentative,” said Falcons coach Lyndsey Banks, who celebrated her fourth championship in three years at the school. “But after the first game the guys were really supportive of each other and hung in there as a team.” The Falcons opened the championship match with a serving run by setter Matt Kremer to build a 6-2 lead before succumbing. St. Matthew’s led from the start in Game 2, with Jonathan Sebastian serving nine straight points, including three aces. In Game 3, St. Matthew’s built a 9-3 lead on the serving of Kremer, Sebastian and Blaine O’Neill. Calvary, however, held the Falcons scoreless for 10 rotations and took a 12-10 lead. But inspired play by Sean Dennis, Clark Porter and Daniel Auten allowed St. Matthew’s to turn the tide again and close out the match. In November, the girls wrapped up an undefeated season with an 11-15, 15-12, 15-12 victory over Harvard-Westlake in the finals. The Falcons beat Calvary Christian 15-3, 15-1 in the semifinals, with Katherine Sebastian serving seven straight points in Game 1 (including three aces). Cathryn Quinn and Sarah McMahon were dominant at net. Alexa Bagnard, Quinn and Chelsie Root each had four-point serving runs. In the finals, Quinn served four aces in the first game and Bagnard served three as the Falcons overcame a 7-1 deficit in the second game. Alexis Dunne and Nora Mardirossian also contributed from the outside. Quinn had a seven-point serving run in the decisive game. St. Matthew’s girls’ tennis team also enjoyed a successful season, winning its first-ever league championship.
9. AYSO Rattlers Rack Up Victories The Rattlers, a local boys U-12 AYSO team, enjoyed one of the winningest seasons ever by a Palisades-based youth soccer team. The team posted a 51-1-4 record and won 10 tournaments. Its only loss, at the Spring Break Classic in Pasadena, came to Hacienda Heights after 44 games, an overtime and 10 penalty kicks. The Rattlers shook off that loss by winning the Armed Forces Day Invitational in Torrance and the Irvine Memorial Classic, a CYSA tournament consisting of both AYSO and club teams. Coached by Chuck Davis, Glen Grimditch and Bill Barnum, the Rattlers consisted of Jared Davis, Charlie James, Zack Piehl, Alex Pack, Patrick O’Donnell, Michael Ray, Sean Grimditch, Alex Silverman, Jackson Liguori, Grimditch, Jimmy Carter, Greg Myerson and Spencer Koo, and Etaih van Herwerden.
10. Bryant & Grubb Win Post Cup Football player Damian Bryant and soccer/volleyball player Charlotte Grubb won the Palisadian-Post Cup Award as outstanding senior athletes at Palisades High. At 5-9 and 175 pounds, Bryant was hardly an imposing figure. But set him up behind the line of scrimmage, give him a running start and it’s amazing how intimidating he became. The Dolphin tailback scored 17 touchdowns and rushed for 1,470 yards in 2002, second-most in school history, and finished his final season third in yards gained amongst running backs in the City Section. He averaged 5.64 yards per carry, scored three touchdowns in a game three times and accounted for nearly half of the Dolphins’ points. More impressive to first-year coach Jason Blatt were that Bryant never missed a practice and did not fumble once in nearly 1,100 carries. Bryant rushed for 287 yards and three touchdowns in Pali’s opener against Cleveland, but his best performance came in the season finale at Westchester. He rushed for 121 yards and two scores and his electrifying 77-yard kick-off return clinched a 24-14 victory-Pali’s first victory over the Comets since 1991. Bryant played at El Camino College this fall but sat out much of the season due to injury. , Grubb, meanwhile, was the backbone of both the soccer and volleyball programs. She was a four-year varsity player in both sports and earned the Western League most valuable player in soccer as a junior and twice made the All-League team in volleyball. In addition to Pali, Grubb played for coach Hugh Donald on the Pacific Coast Soccer Club’s U-19 Premiere team, called “The Rage.” Respected by her teammates, Grubb led more by example than through words. That trait made her a calming influence in the heat of battle. Her biggest thrill in volleyball came in November of 2001, when she and the Dolphins played Van Nuys in the City championship match at Occidental College. Her favorite year in soccer was her sophomore season because “we had a good team and we all just loved to play.” Grubb accepted an academic scholarship to George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where she hopes to graduate with a degree in international affairs and/or minor in human services. Her younger sister, Diana, also plays soccer and volleyball at Pali.
Donald Reed McClure; Career Newspaperman
Donald Reed McClure, former editor of the editorial pages for the Santa Monica Evening Outlook for 21 years, passed away peacefully at home on December 15. He was 72. Born on September 30, 1931, to Donald Reed and Clara McClure in Glendale, he moved to Pacific Palisades at an early age. He was one of the first acolytes at St. Matthew’s Church, where his parents were active. He attended Palisades Elementary, Emerson Junior High, University High and Santa Monica City College and graduated from UCLA with a degree in journalism in 1956. He served as a lieutenant in the Navy during the Korean War. He enjoyed his journalism career, which began while he was still in high school when he worked part-time at The Outlook. After his long, successful stint as editor of the Outlook’s editorial pages, he worked at the Daily News from 1981 to 1999 before retiring. Reed McClure was active on his high school’s reunion committee, a docent at the Santa Monica Museum of Flying and a docent at the Commemorative Air Force Museum in Camarillo. He was an avid reader, especially of history, and enjoyed making model airplanes and walking. He and his wife, Missie Dixie Heinz McClure, enjoyed traveling and writing travel stories for the Outlook. In addition to his wife of 37 years, he is survived by his sister-in-laws Gretchen Klasila (husband Jack), Diane McClure and Carollei Heinz Lamoureux, numerous nieces and a nephew. A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. on January 8 at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 1031 Bienveneda. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation to one’s favorite charity is suggested.
Harriet L. Axelrad, 87; Poet
Harriet Levene Axelrad, poet, writer and family historian, died peacefully at home on December 21. She was 87. Born on January 27, 1916 in Kansas City, Missouri, Harriet graduated from the University of Kansas City at age 19 and did graduate work in English at the University of Chicago. In 1938 she married Irving Axelrad, moved to Washington, D.C., and worked at the Library of Congress. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1952 and built a house in Pacific Palisades the following year. A mother of five, Harriet was president of the PTA at Paul Revere Junior High (1963-64) and Palisades High School (1966-67). She was also active in the larger community, serving as chairman of the Pacific Palisades United Crusades, board member of the Pacific Palisades Human Relations Council (1972-82) and president of the Palisades Historical Society. In 1984, she joined the PLATO Society of UCLA, and coordinated nine study groups. She was foreign press representative of Physicians for Social Responsibility in Oslo, Norway, when the group received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. She joined OPICA in 1991 and helped provide day care for the elderly. A founding docent at Will Rogers State Historic Park, Harriet wrote a book in 1990 called “Who Was Will Rogers?” She also served as a docent at LACMA, was president of the Organization of Art Sponsors, and worked on the Venice Art Tour Planning Committee (1982-92). She took creative writing classes at Santa Monica Emeritus College for many years and also belonged to a private writing group for over 20 years. She published poetry, haiku and several books, including “Harriet’s Harvest” (1995), “In My Time” (1997) and “Telling Tales” (2001). She excelled in ikebana flower arrangements and ceramics. Harriet is survived by her five children, Allan (wife Jill Rosenbaum), Stephen (Sylvia Impert), Karen (husband Manfred Schiedhelm), Eve and Joel; eight grandchildren, Joseph Zimring, Wendy Axelrad Kelly, Joshua Axelrad, Dov Zimring, Emily Axelrad Stuart, Florian Schiedhelm, Dion Schiedhelm and Alison Axelrad; and great-grandchild Emma Kelly. Services will be held at Hillside Memorial Park on Friday, December 26 at 11 a.m. Please visit www.axelradfamily.com for Harriet’s poetry, writing and family history-an ongoing memorial Web site. The January issue of Haiku Headlines, a monthly newsletter of haiku and senryu, will be in memory of Harriet. Contributions can be made to OPICA (Older People In a Caring Atmosphere), diabetes or cancer research.
Archer Arrows Soccer on Target
The Archer School for Girls’ varsity soccer team got off to a fast start this season with a record of 8-0-1. League play does not begin until January but the Arrows hope to beat last year’s second place finish. The season opener against Oakwood High on December 1 ended in a 3-1 victory, with freshmen Palisadians Jamie Shields and Kate Santulli getting substantial playing time at midfield and Shields scoring her first goal of the season. A 9-2 victory over Bishop Conaty Dec. 3 saw sophomore Christina Randolph mastering the stopper position. Archer won the Western Christian Tournament, defeating Baldwin Park 4-0, Pomona Catholic 2-0, and tying Hoover High School 1-1 in round robin play before shutting out Linfield 3-0 in the semifinals. In the championship game, the Arrows beat host Western Christian 2-1. Junior goalie Kelley Costello notched two shutouts in the tournament. In the Linfield victory, junior Lauren Bahedry moved to forward from sweeper and crossed to senior Liza Epps, who scored the winning goal. Moments later, sophomore Sasha Verruno scored her second goal on a high cross well above the keeper’s outstretched fingers. Last week, Archer beat Animo Leadership High 5-4 and Rolling Hills Prep 6-2. Costello has played all but four minutes of the season in goal. The Arrows played Campbell Hall on Wedneday and the first game of the New Year is against Malibu. Archer again fields a team with great depth and talent with girls from other parts of the Los Angeles area: Lauren Haas, Natalie Babcock, Catherine Carmichael, Dylan Optican, Alaina Gibbs, Kylie Clark, Hilly Newman, and Samantha Russ.
Colman Third in City
Palisades High freshman Olivia Colman finished third at the All-City Individuals Tennis Tournament last week in Encino. Seeded third in a draw of 64 players, Colman advanced to the semifinals of the singles draw without losing a set. She routed North Hollywood’s Marsha Clever 6-1, 6-0 in the quarterfinals before falling to second-seeded Desiree Stone (also of North Hollywood) in the semifinals 6-3, 7-5. But Colman wasn’t done. She was ahead of Westchester’s Simone Greene 6-2, 5-7, 3-1 in the third-place match when Greene had to retire due to injury. Colman was the only Dolphin singles player to earn All-City honors. Yasmir Navas and Krista Slocum were trying to become the third consecutive Pali High doubles duo to win the All-City tournament. Seeded No. 1 out of 32 teams, they advanced to the finals with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 semifinal victory over fourth-seeded Cielo Domingo and Tisha Sutphin of Carson, but lost to third-seeded Roxanne Plata and Alex Margolin of Granada Hills, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1, in the finals. Plata and Margolin, who led Granada Hills to the City Section team championship last month, defeated Pali’s No. 2 team, Cody Clark and Lauren Pugatch, 6-0, 6-3 in the semifinals Clark and Pugatch were seeded seventh and beat Dolphin teammates Rebecca Feuerlicht and Brittany O’Neil in the round of 16 before winning their quarterfinal match by a walkover. Clark and Pugatch lost to Domingo and Sutphin 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, in the third-place match. The tandems of Slocum-Navas and Clark-Pugatch each earned first-team All-City honors by virtue of finishing in the top four in the All-City tournament. Sisters Jennifer and Marissa Lin won the All-City doubles title in 2001 while Jasmine Reed and Madison Sellers teamed to win it last year.
PaliHi Football Coach Resigns
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Palisades High head varsity football coach Jason Blatt resigned December 16, citing personal reasons. Blatt posted a 9-13 record and led the Dolphins to the City Invitational playoffs in each of his two seasons. Pali won only one game and finished last in the Western League in 2001, the year before Blatt arrived. “This was 100 percent my decision,” Blatt insisted. “In fact, the administration asked me to reconsider but I told them it was final.” Blatt, who got married last June, said he decided to quit coaching to devote more time to his family and his mortgage/financial service business in Beverly Hills. He was offered the head coaching job last season at Taft High in Woodland Hills, where he served for four years as defensive coordinator under former coach Troy Starr, but Blatt chose to remain at Palisades. “The proudest moment for me was beating Westchester that first year,” Blatt said. “It was a huge win for the program and especially for the seniors who had never beaten them before.” After opening the past season 2-0, Pali finished fifth in the Western League with a 4-6 overall record, then lost 21-13 to El Camino Real in the first round of the Invitational playoffs. In his first year, Blatt guided the Dolphins to a 5-5 regular season mark and the No. 2 seed in the Invitational playoffs, but Pali was upset by Jordan in the first round. “Palisades is a really unique school because you have kids from all over Los Angeles, not just the local community. I’m glad I coached there and I’m really going to miss all the players,” Blatt said. “But I think the program is moving in the right direction.” School officials are forming a committee to interview candidates for the vacant position but have yet to name Blatt’s replacement.
AYSO Region 69 Playoff Roundup
U-10 Boys The Black Licorice beat the Candy Canes to reach the quarterfinals of the playoffs December 14 on a goal by defenseman Garrett Lee, who scored on a shot from past the midifield stripe. It was Lee’s first goal of the season. After losing their first three games, the Black Licorice reached the championship game before losing to the No. 1 seed in three overtimes. U-10 Girls The Blue Flames won the championship Sunday, December 14, in the rain and mud at the VA field by defeating the Greyhounds, 4-0. Jenna Davis scored an unassisted goal in the sixth minute on a shot from 16 yards out. Carolyn Windler scored off of an assist from Davis six minutes into the third quarter just before Davis added another unassisted goal. In the fourth quarter, Kelly Bertrando notched her 16th goal of the season on an assist from Davis. The strong defensive line of Ellen Ray, Virginia James, Julia Robinson and Davis anchored the Blue Flames, who ended the season 11-3-1 after an 0-2 start. The team was also led by Sophie Binenfeld, Morgan Gruber, Caroline Branigan, Aidan Romick and Lexi Mohr. Windler, Romick, and Branigan led the Blue Flames in goal. The Blue Flames, coached by Chuck Davis and Amy Clendening, defeated the Red Devils, 2-0, on two late goals by Bertrando in a quarterfinal match Saturday. In the semifinal, Davis scored three goals and Bertrando netted one to lead the Flames to a 4-0 win over the Black Widows. The Greyhounds, coached by Nancy Babcock and Fred Kornfeind, won its quarterfinal and semifinal games in exciting double and triple sudden-death overtime games. Both the Blue Flames and Greyhounds will advance to the Area P playoffs in Culver City on January 10. U-12 Boys The Red Devils added the playoff championship to their title-winning season on a muddy Sunday afternoon at Paul Revere with a 5-1 victory over the Unknowns. Chester Lindley set the Devils going after a great through ball from the tireless Nick Rogers. Victor Moyano, the team’s elusive leader, added two goals before halftime. Tyler Coleman brought the Unknowns back into the game shortly after the break but further goals from Moyano and Aaron Schwartz sealed the win for the Devils, who were bolstered by strong defensive play from Alex Spire, Andrew Gigg, Zach Scott, Nick Keech and Ritchie Harrington. The Devils passed the ball superbly throughout the game, with telling midfield performances from David Pack, Troy Aden, Andrew Wong, and the irrepressible Lindley. Kevin McKenzie worked energetically in attack and Jesse Eagle lent support from his sickbed. Coaches Peter Rogers, Kevin McKenzie and David Eagle shouted themselves hoarse from the touchline. U-12 Girls The league champion Panthers ended their season with a third place finish in the post-season tournament. The Panthers prevailed on Saturday over the tough Tazmanian Devils in a game for the ages. The match was still tied 0-0 after quadruple overtime, the last period of which was played three-on-three. Keeper/midfielder Stephanie Black was the heroine of the day scoring on the Panthers’ sixth shot and stopping the Devils keeper’s penalty shot to clinch the victory after Panther Maria Svenson scored on the Panthers’ seventh kick. In a steady rain in Sunday’s semi-final, the Panthers again displayed their trademark tenacious defense (which allowed only three goals all year) led by sweeper Hannah Spitz, defenders Samantha Rosenbaum and Tara Robinson and keepers Emma Weinman, Black and the muddy, but unbeaten Taylor Bartholomew. Offensive leader Negin Mahmoudi, Alondra Barbosa Chelsea Lewis, Lauren Jones, Geena Angrisani, Shannon Lindee, and Svenson played all-out throughout the match, which was decided by a penalty kick late in the scoreless third period. Kristin Begakis converted the kick for the Orange Crush, propelling them into the championship game where they defeated the Incredible Hulkettes, 1-0, on a goal by Emma Gilhouly.
