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STUDIO CITY — In the slot, at the X.
Palisades football wide receiver Demare Dezeurn knew what was next: the end zone.
Dezeurn’s four receiving touchdowns catapulted the Dolphins (1-0) to a 37-35 victory over Harvard-Westlake (1-1) in a season debut that head coach Dylen Smith described as “too close for comfort.”
The Wolverines chased down Palisades through their rushing attack, but a series of defensive and special teams turnovers and quarterback Jack Thomas’ arm propelled Palisades forward.
“We tried to do too much too early and didn’t take what the defense gave us,” Smith said. “We have athletes and we thought we could push the ball down the field, Harvard-Westlake had a good game plan and played very disciplined.”
Dezeurn, a four-star prospect with offers from programs such as Alabama, Arkansas and Miami, caught his stride at both ends of the game, scoring Palisades’ first two and final touchdowns. The junior pass-catcher, whose uncle Donte Dezeurn serves as the program’s position coach for receivers and defensive backs, leveraged the variety of his route tree, observing a defender’s position and taking advantage of the space, or lack thereof.
Through slants, curls, fades and post routes, Dezeurn reached through his bag to pull out whatever the situation required.
“Early in the game me, my coach and JT (Jack Thomas) all talked about the short routes,” Dezeurn said. “Open up the short routes so they can start coming down on me so I can beat them over the top.”
In the second and third quarters, where Harvard-Westlake threw a variety of looks and often showed double coverage, Palisades took advantage by spreading the ball to their other receivers.
With the Dolphins up one and the Wolverines nipping at their tails, Thomas looked to another one of his receiving weapons. Senior wide receiver King Demethris, who had gone down the drive before after taking a hit that took him to the sideline, burst up the field with speed.
Finding a gap between the safeties, Thomas delivered Demethris his sole touchdown of the night, a 60-yarder that sent fans, coaches and teammates alight.
On his senior signal-caller, Smith expressed his approval while also wanting him to trust in his own instincts.
“He didn’t check as many plays out as I wanted him to,” Smith said. “I know he’s trying to play within my offense, but he always puts on good plays and if he sees something and feels comfortable throwing it I don’t mind.”
Despite the loss, Harvard-Westlake always remained competitive to the last down, though early setbacks never allowed them to gain the lead.
The Wolverines operated through the ground game, with juniors Auggie Sone and Jordan Doi taking turns running the ball. On one drive in the second quarter, the team ran eight consecutive times on a 95-yard drive to give them their first touchdown of the night.
Another highlight play for Harvard-Westlake was delivered by junior WR/FS Dylan Fullmer, who took a 75-yard kick-return to the house.
Going into next week, Palisades will look to continue their winning start, hosting Granada Hills at Santa Monica College on Friday at 7 p.m., while Harvard-Westlake will look to get back in the win column at Venice at 7 p.m.
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Anthony Aroyan
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