Scoring Spree

Dolphins Set School Records in 63-45 Win at Eagle Rock and Advance to City Division I Championship Game   

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

While congratulating Palisades players in the handshake line after last Friday night’s contest, Eagle Rock head coach Andy Moran hesitated when he got to Harrison Carter, patting him on the helmet and joking: “Great game but I never want to see you again!”

The junior tailback was a headache for Moran and a nightmare for Eagles defenders who were helpless to stop one of the most breathtaking performances in Dolphins history.

The busiest person in the stadium was the scoreboard operator, who  struggled to keep up with Palisades’  high-octane offense, which marched up and down the field at will to the tune of nine touchdowns, the most  the Dolphins have ever scored in a postseason game. When the dust settled, Palisades had dealt the No. 1-seeded Eagles a 63-45 knockout on their home field. The resoundning victory also broke the school record for most combined points in a postseason game (108), surpassing the previous total of 100 when the Dolphins lost at Birmingham 53-47 in the first round of the City championship division in 2000. Palisades’ 63 points is the Dolphins; highest total ever in a playoff game, topping the previous record of 60 against visiting South Gate in an Open Division quarterfinal in 2021.

“We came here hungry, but we’ve still got more to eat,” coach Dylen Smith said after the Dolphins advanced to their second Division I final in three years. “One more and we’re City champs!”

Palisades will take on King/Drew in the championship game at 6 p.m. Saturday at Birmingham High. The Golden Eagles upset No.2 Kennedy 35-23 in Friday’s other semifinal.

Eagle Rock (10-3) got the ball first and needed four plays to score,      the last an eight-yard run by Ajani Rivera. Palisades needed less than three minutes to answer, as Jack Thomas threw a sideline pass to King Demethris, who raced 30 yards for a touchdown. The Eagles regained the lead on a three-yard run by Jonas Leal-Paz, but Palisades again responded on a 20-yard scoring strike from Thomas to LeHenry Solomon. Jack Malloy’s point-after  kick put the Dolphins in front for the first time, 14-13, with 37 seconds left in the first quarter. Malloy would end the night a perfect nine-for-nine on extra point tries, setting yet another school record.

Leal-Paz caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Liam Pasten to regain the lead for Eagle Rock, but Thomas hooked up with Solomon again to make it 21-19 Palisades midway through the second quarter.       

On his team’s next drive, Thomas  scoired on a 20-yard keeper, but the Eagles gave their fans something to cheer about with a 21-yard pass play from Pasten to Leal-Paz to cut the Dolphins’ lead to 28-25 with 1:47 left in the second quarter. However, Thomas hit Carter in stride for a 63-yard touchdown  just 16 seconds later to put Palisades back up by 10. Eagle Rock, though, came right back with a five-play, 70-yard drive capped by Pasten’s five-yard run, but the two-point pass failed and Palisades took a 35-31 lead to the locker room.

The Dolphins’ offense switched to an even higher gear in the third quarter—one with which the Eagles could not keep up. First, Carter scored on a 23-yard run, breaking tackles all the way, to widen the lead to 11, then mideay through the quarter he ran 84 yards for a score. Thomas’ 13-yard touchdown run with 24 seconds left in the quarter  gave the fifth-seeded Dolphins (11-2) a commanding 56-31 advantage.

Eagle Rock never gave up, scoring on a four-yard run by Leal-Paz to pull within 17, but Shilo Beavers barreled into the end zone from two yards out to to widen the gap. Rivera closed out the scoring on a four-yard run with 8:11 left and four minutes later Nico Townsley intercepted a Pasten pass and returned it 17 yards to seal the deal.

Thomas wound up completing 12 of his 21 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns to go along with  his 85 yards rushing and two scores.

Carter carried the ball 16 times for a whopping 262 yards and added three catches for 87 yards. Max Hejazi had four grabs for 79 yards, Demethris and Solomon each had two catches and Augie Evans had one.

Linebacker Jake Treibatch made 13 tackles, Jayden Joch had 11, Mike Tobin added eight and Adrian Romero had two sacks.   

“On some of those plays he just makes it happen on his own,” Smith said of Thomas’ ability to extend plays. “We watched a lot of film and today was about attacking the gaps and taking what they gave us.     I’m proud of the whole team. We played fast and physical. If we practice hard consistently no one can stop us.”