Two for Two, PaliHi Takes the Charter Bowl 59-44

With 16 seconds left in the first half, PaliHi’s King Demethris made the catch for a touchdown.
Photo: TRACY MESTRES

Palisades High School football team, under coach Dylen Smith, defeated Granada Hills 59-44 to take the Charter Bowl at Santa Monica College Stadium on September 5. This non-league game has been a tradition since 2003. Pali now leads the series 12-5.

At halftime a little boy, maybe six or seven years old, ran up to Palisades High School player King Demethris and said, “I want to be just like you when I grow up.” The senior wide receiver took off a wristband and gave it to the kid.

What little boy wouldn’t want to be like Demethris, who scored three touchdowns on seven receptions, some spectacular grabs, ending up with 126 yards for the game? On one kickoff return, he ran 58 yards.

Granada Hills never passed (that’s right not one pass the entire game) but instead ran the ball on every play. And they were successful moving the ball enough to get consecutive first downs, 31 in this game.

For the Highlanders’ first touchdown, they started at their own 23-yard line and six minutes later moved the ball into the endzone. The Palisades defense had a hard time stopping Granada’s senior running back Dean Rosales, who seemingly slipped through the line repeatedly. In the first half, Granada scored on every possession.

Then, the Dolphins would take the field and Pali Quarterback Jack Thomas who has a spectacular arm and throws with incredible accuracy would return to the field and hit one of his receivers: Demethris, Malachi Ross, Harrison Carter or Demare Dezeurn.

The score bounced back and forth, and at half, thanks to a throw by Thomas and catch by Demethris, the Dolphins were up 35-30.

After half the Dolphins defense stepped it up and were finally able to stop the Highlanders.  On a fourth down in the third quarter, the Highlanders were unable to convert. The Palisades took over on the Highlanders 39-yard-line.  A pass from Thomas to Demethris and a two-point conversion by Malachi Ross, finally gave the Dolphins breathing room with the score 51-36.

Three minutes into the fourth quarter, a Granada Hills fumble caused by Pali defensive players junior Desmond Brown and Nico Townsley, saw the ball back with the Dolphins., A pass from Thomas to Demethis resulted in a touchdown.

When the game was over, Thomas had 387 yards and six touchdowns. He reads the field well and has great mobility. Late in the first half, when none of his passers were open, he scrambled around the line of scrimmage and took the ball in from the 5 for a touchdown.

Quarterback Jack Thomas carries the ball in for a TD.
Photo: TRACY MESTRES

After the game Smith told his team, “I’m so proud of you all.”

He told CTN that the defense had made changes and did a great job the second half. “We finally got the turnover, we needed,” he said and told CTN that now the focus is shifting to next week’s game at Brentwood School, for the Sunset Showdown at 7 p.m. September 12 at Brentwood, a nonleague game.

It might come down to defense again, because Brentwood has posted at least 31 points every time they’ve taken the field.

One of the parents after the game, had high praise for Smith, who he said managed to keep the team together and finding fields to practice and play on. After the Palisades Fire, many of the students transferred to other schools.

The parent told CTN that “This is more than football, it’s about the players, the school, all working to keep the community together. The resiliency and ability to do what could seem impossible.” (The school has been relocated to the old Sears building in Santa Monica until final repairs are made from the January 7 Palisades Fire. There are no athletic facilities at that location, and all of the sports teams are working desperately to find alternatives.)

Since there are no fields, now, football is away for most of their games, except for another “home game” at SMC versus University High on October 17 and possibly senior night versus Fairfax on October 30