Pali High Football Makes Forward Progress

Three days into pad practice, the varsity football team is far ahead of where it was at this time a year ago, but there's still a long and treacherous road ahead.

"What you see is where we are," second-year head coach Perry Jones said. "Our offensive line is completely new—not one guy was a starter last year—and as a result our pass protection isn't there. Still, it's very encouraging to see the kids are getting a grasp of the offense."

Palisades will once again run the triple option that gave defenses fits last year. At the center of every read, every pitch and every pass will be senior quarterback Nathan Dodson, who trained with the track team in the offseason to improve his speed and thus dropped his 40-yard dash time significantly.

"Everyone's been in the weight room and we're installing a lot of new things in the offense, so I think we're far ahead of last year," Dodson said. "I'm not going in blind, I'm not so shaky with my reads and the line is looking really good. My timing is a little off [throwing the ball] but it'll come by next week."

As for their expectations, the Dolphins have set a lofty goal despite their inexperience and a tough schedule that begins in Woodland Hills on September 9 against El Camino Real, a 36-35 winner over Palisades last season. Moving from Division II up to Division I for the City Section playoffs only adds to the challenge.

"We're going to find out really quick how good we are, but if we just execute the way we should, we can beat any team we play," Dodson said. "We're after the league championship and that means beating Venice. We want to prove we can play with the Tafts, Dorseys and Crenshaws."

By the time the postseason rolled around last season, Dodson was splitting time with then senior Ke'monte Reed in a wishbone attack predicated on getting the ball to tailback Malcolm Creer (now at the University of Colorado) in the open field. The tactic worked, as Palisades finished 7-6 and came within one win of reaching the Division II finals—an improbable run cionsidering the Dolphins were 1-9 the year before.

This season, Dodson expects a more balanced offense.

"Last year it was 80-20, leaning heavily on the run, but this year I think it'll be more like 60-40," he said. "We'll use the run to open up the passing game."

Backing up Dodson at quarterback will be junior Kevin Acosta, who played JV last season, and senior Adrian Romero, also a starter at cornerback. Jones, too, would like to mix up the run and the pass.

"Just like any team, it works to our advantage the more balanced we are, but a lot depends on how well the [offensive] line does," Jones said. "The O-line is completely new and it all hinges on them."

The Dolphins only have six returning starters—three on each side of the ball. The returners on offense are Dodson, wide receiver Ben Ingram and halfback Arte' Miura. Coming back on defense are tackle Justin Flores and linebackers Victor Garcia and Mylz Blake. 

One area of concern for Jones is depth. There are 53 players on the current varsity squad as opposed to 67 going into last season. Still, the effort the Dolphins put forth from three to five o'clock each day over the next three weeks will determine how ready they are for the season opener.

"We're very thin, but the guys we do have all want to play football, which is great because we're going to need everyone," Jones said. "It's hard to tell our conditioning because we've only been in pads three days but we'll know more by about Thursday of next week."

Be sure to follow Pali Patch on Twitter and "Like" us on Facebook.