Quarterback Jack Thomas hands the ball to his running back Deveron Kearny. Walter Perez-Webster provides a block.
Photo: ANGELICA HERNANDEZ
It wasn’t a pretty game defensively on October 24 when Palisades High School defeated the Yankees 46 to 30 at Hamilton High School. Last year, the Dolphins beat the Yankees 42-0.
The real story in this game was Pali’s offense. PaliHi quarterback Jack Thomas, completed 27 passes for 369 yards and seven touchdowns. Thomas is now averaging 306.8 passing yards per game.
The offensive team provided Pali with its 9th win this season, putting them first in the Western League, with one game left in the regular season. Senior night and the final league game against Fairfax will be at Sofi Stadium, curtesy of the L.A. Chargers on October 30 at 6 p.m.
With less than a minute left in the half, Thomas connected with a pass to Demare Dezeurn from the Hamilton 30-yard line, who ran it in for a touchdown. The PAT, one of four, by sophomore Carter Schwartz was good. And it looked like Pali would go into the half 18 to 3.
But, Hamilton has a new quarterback this year, a freshman Thaddeus II Breaux, who threw 382 yards and three touchdowns. At 6’5” and 215 pounds Breaux is a genuine talent to watch.
With 22 seconds left, Hamilton’s DJ Parker took the kickoff and ran the ball 80 yard for a TD. The two-point conversion between Breaux and M. Nico Manilay was good.
At half, the Dolphins were only up 19 to 11.
The Dolphins were first to score in the third quarter with a pass between Thomas and Dezeurn, who would end the game with 198 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Another of Thomas’ targets was Mattias Hernandez, who is credited with three receptions and two touchdowns.
Senior Mattias Hernandez catches a pass in the endzone.
Photo: ANGELA HERNANDEZ
Junior Malachi Ross had a total of 126 all-purpose yards and a touchdown.
Dolphin senior Tavian Talbert is credited with five solo tackles and two assists.
Tavian Talbert makes the tackle.
Photo: ANGELA HERNANDEZ
After the game, Dolphin Head Coach Dylen Smith said, “They [Yankees] had a couple of big plays, but we slowed them down. I’m happy with how the defense played tonight.”
“If you stop the quarterback, making him a passer, you force him out of his comfort zone,” Smith said, and added that for the Dolphins “Malichi really stepped up tonight.”
Last week after the narrow win 19-17 over University High School, the coach was asked what the focus would be in practice.
He said the week had been spent on “Effort. Giving 100 percent with every repetition.”
About coaching in SoFi this week, he said, “It’s very exciting. It’s going to be fun.”