Palisades Gets It Right With a Championship

Losing can sometimes create winning.

Palisades High, which lost in the 4-A Division championship last season, defeated Taft for the title Friday, 10-15, 15-12, 15-11, 15-7, at Cal State Northridge.

Peter Schecter had 18 kills for the top-seeded Dolphins (17-0), who made it their mission to return to the title match and win it.

“We knew we didn’t like losing in the finals,” said Schecter, who was part of the Palisades team last year that lost to Granada Hills. “That was a killer.”

Michael Kirschenbaum and Emerson Vidor each had 12 kills for Palisades. Donal McGraw had nine kills and nine blocks.

“I think we had more people to go to,” said Palisades Coach Dave Suarez, who also coached the Dolphins’ girls to the 4-A championship last fall.

Second-seeded Taft (15-1) was led by opposite hitter Joe Nargi, who delivered 24 kills, but had little help from his supporting cast.

Tomer Firouzman, who had 10 kills, was the only other Taft player to register double figures in kills.

The key to the match might have been the second game.

Palisades, already down one game, was tied with Taft, 12-12.

But Schecter, pounded three kills and the Dolphins won the game and, ultimately, the match.

“I just wanted to finish it,” Schecter said.

Palisades, which has launched several successful players, including Kent Steffes, won a title for the first time since 1992.

Taft was trying to win its first title since 1990.

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Monroe High used a different approach to prepare for the 3-A Division volleyball championship.

The Vikings got fired up by a poem written by Coach Bob Berrenson, who read his words of wisdom to the players minutes before the match.

It worked.

Monroe downed Eagle Rock, 15-5, 15-8, 15-7, to win the title Friday at Cal State Northridge.

The poem was slightly presumptuous, declaring the Vikings the 3-A champs.

“It fired us up more than any talk we ever had,” Monroe outside hitter Reggie Ellis said.

The depth and defense of the top-seeded Vikings (14-3) brought them their first title since 1990.

Second-seeded Eagle Rock (14-3) had more hitting errors (38) than kills (28) for the first time this season.