Having made three trips to the San Fernando Valley already this season, the Palisades High varsity football team will do so one more time Friday when it travels to Lake Balboa to play Birmingham in the first round of the City Section Division I playoffs.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Birmingham High.
Despite being the Western League co-champions, the Dolphins (6-4) are seeded 15th out of 16 teams and head coach Tim Hyde has the utmost respect for the second-seeded Patriots (7-3).
“This will be the best team we’ve played since Sierra Canyon,” Hyde said. “They’ve played three [Southern Section] Pac-5 teams… who else in the City can say that? They very much deserve their ranking.”
Palisades last met Birmingham in the first round of the City Championship (upper) division playoffs in 2000 and led at halftime before falling 53-47 in the Dolphins’ final game under Coach Ron Price.
“Ed Croson (now the coach at Chaminade) built them into a powerhouse and Coach [Jim] Rose has kept them a consistent top five program in our section for years now,” Hyde said of the Patriots, winners of five straight West Valley League titles. “They have one of the best running backs in the City in Sterling Salguero, their O-line is huge, their secondary is very athletic and their inside linebackers are the best we’ll have faced. We have to play like we have the last month to have a chance.”
Should the Dolphins upset Birmingham they will travel to a quarterfinal matchup against No. 7 Arleta or No. 10 Venice with revenge on their minds. Palisades lost to Arleta 36-31 in the first round of the playoffs last year and lost to Venice 42-13 in its Western League opener Oct. 9.
Birmingham will be the sixth Valley opponent Palisades has tackled this season (the seventh if you count the preseason scrimmage with El Camino Real) and the Dolphins, who won their last four league games, aren’t the least bit intimidated.
“Our seeding doesn’t really make us feel any different about ourselves — anything is possible,” senior tight end Gersan Osorio said. “Playing a Valley team isn’t a problem for us. We make another long trip and we don’t mind that at all. We just need to make a name for ourselves every place we go.”
Senior offensive lineman and tight end Dennis Zavatski is also up for the challenge.
“We definitely felt the 15 seed was not what we deserved, but we thank the seeding committee for putting us in the playoffs and adding to the fire all of us have to show the City what real Palisades football is about,” he said. “Playing in the Valley added to our experience and made us a better football team. They play tough out there and yes we respect that, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen and we’re ready to play a great game.”
All-City senior linebacker Alec Simpson, who has 215 tackles in three seasons on varsity, is confident the Dolphins can avoid another early playoff exit.
“After we lost to Arleta last year, coach told us let’s play a 12th game next year,” he said. “That means getting past this first-round barrier that Palisades hasn’t been able to break. We made history by winning league, now we’re ready to go make some more.”
— Steve Galluzzo
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