Pali Football Lets Victory Slip Away

Late Mistakes and Dubious Playcalling Contribute to 27-21 Loss at Westchester

Coaches often use the phrase “hindsight is always 20-20” to explain away mistakes made during games. Not even that seems an adequate excuse, however, for what occurred at the end of last Friday night’s varsity football game at Westchester. When it was over, everyone on the Palisades sideline was still trying to figure out what had just happened. The scoreboard read Westchester 27, Visitors 21. “We’re all very upset,” Head Coach Leo Castro said. “Some of the kids are pointing fingers and that’s what I’m disappointed with most. That’s not what I teach our players to do.” Clinging to a 21-19 lead with just over two minutes to go, Palisades had a first down at its own 17-yard line, needing a first down to run out the clock. Westchester had one timeout left. “Robert [Gillett] and I were pleading in the huddle to let us run it,” Palisades High senior tailback Dajuan Cofield said. “I was sure we could pick up the first down and the game would be over.” Instead, backup quarterback Michael Latt (replacing starter Raymond Elie, who had dislocated his left index finger while breaking up a pass on the prior defensive series) was instructed to take a knee three times, after which kicker Joe Berman punted from his own end zone, giving Westchester the ball back at the Dolphins’ 37-yard line with 24 seconds left. “It’s easy to second-guess now and say we should’ve run the ball but our thinking was that Michael [Latt] hadn’t taken any snaps and we didn’t want to risk a turnover,” Castro said. “I also don’t think the officials spotted the ball correctly after the punt. It should have been 10 yards further up field.” To its credit, Westchester (3-6, 1-3) took advantage of the Dolphins’ clock mismanagement and scored when quarterback Isaiah Barton scrambled out of the pocket and heaved a pass to receiver Khallid Muhammad, who caught the ball in the end zone. “Normally, Raymond [Elie] would have been the safety in that situation but he was hurt. The kid [Darren Morrow] we had in his place is a senior, too. It wasn’t just his fault. The whole defense fell asleep.” What happened next was even more embarrassing for the Dolphins. Westchester was flagged for two excessive celebration penalties after the touchdown and had to attempt the two-point conversion try from Pali’s 33-yard line. Barton swept left on a quarterback keeper and scampered all the way into the end zone. While it had no effect on the outcome of the game, the play exposed Palisades’ inability to defend a basic run the Comets had used repeatedly throughout the second half–including six plays in a row during a 72-yard scoring drive earlier in the fourth quarter. The outcome overshadowed a fine performance by Cofield (73 yards and two touchdowns in 14 carries) and Elie (nine of 13 for 128 yards and one touchdown), who is hoping to be back under center in time for the playoffs. Three weeks ago, Palisades came within two inches of spoiling Hamilton’s homecoming. This time, the Dolphins came within two seconds of ruining Westchester’s homecoming. Both games exemplify why in football every yard and every second count. Friday’s loss, however, was harder to swallow because of how suddenly the resilient Comets snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. “It was crazy the way it ended, but I’m not pointing any fingers,” Cofield said. “We win as a team and we lose as a team. That game is history and we just have to move on.” The Dolphins have had little time to dwell on last Friday’s loss. They travel to first-place Venice (7-2, 4-0) tonight for their league finale. “We’re 0-4 on the road so far, so we’d like to change that,” Cofield said. “With our starting quarterback out, Robert [Gillett] and I are going to get the bulk of the carries. Everyone needs to step up if we’re going to win this game.” Defensively, Pali’s gameplan will be to slow down Gondos running back Curtis McNeal, who has rushed for 1,773 yards and has scored 33 touchdowns this season. Venice crushed University, 55-24, last Friday. Pali beat University, 15-14, on October 13. “I know Curtis well,” Cofield said of his backfield counterpart. “He’s a great back. I actually beat him in the 100 meters last year in track. I ran 11.2 and he ran 11.3. So far, he’s put up big numbers for them.” Castro fears the loss to Westchester might cost his team a home game in the first round of the Invitational playoffs. “We would have to be seeded in the top eight for us to get a home game,” he said. “That could still happen but this loss definitely hurts our chances.” Friday’s frosh/soph game kicks off at 4 p.m., followed by the varsity at 7 at Venice High.