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.

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.

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.