A Hot Time for Palisades’ Koral

Afternoon heat severely impacted the anticipated showdown Friday between quarterbacks David Koral of Palisades High and Torwin Session of Eagle Rock.

Both teams were slowed at Eagle Rock’s sun-baked stadium by temperatures that hit the 90s, and several players, including Session, battled leg cramps.

In the end, it was Koral who had the hot hand.

Koral rushed for a touchdown and completed 21 of 40 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns as Palisades outlasted the Eagles, 28-21, for the nonleague victory at Eagle Rock.

Koral’s 28-yard touchdown pass to tight end Eric Beegun with 8:30 left broke a 21-21 tie and proved to be the game-winner.

Charles Ealy had eight receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown, and Jacques Lazarus had nine catches for 137 yards and a touchdown for Palisades (1-1).

“It was tough out there because of the heat,” Koral said. “I started feeling like I was going to pass out in the first half.

“But at halftime, we felt like we were playing so bad, we just had to pick it up.”

Session, who passed for four touchdowns in last week’s 51-6 victory over Pasadena Muir, struggled against a Palisades defense that scrapped the zone it used in a 35-26 season-opening loss to Reseda Cleveland. Instead, the Dolphins employed an aggressive man-to-man scheme against Eagle Rock receivers--a move that worked from the start.

Session’s first 10 passes fell incomplete. He left the game twice in the second half because of cramps and finished six of 33 for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

“I don’t think anyone can handle our receivers, but we weren’t clicking today . . .,” Session said. “I just couldn’t step into it [because of the cramps].”

Session’s physical problems might have been caused in part by the energy he expended on defense. Like Ealy and Lazarus of Palisades, Session plays defensive back. And plays it well.

Session had a hand in two interceptions that resulted in touchdowns for Eagle Rock (1-1).

After Koral scored on a one-yard run to cap the game’s first series, Session intercepted a pass and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown to tie the score with 8:34 left in the first quarter.

Two and a half minutes later, Ealy put Palisades ahead when he caught a 17-yard pass from Koral in front of the Eagle Rock bench, then turned up the sideline and ran 50 yards for a touchdown.

Session struck again on defense when he tipped a pass by Koral that Ruben Cunanan intercepted with 3:39 left in the second quarter. Session then completed five passes during a 10-play, 94-yard drive that ended with his eight-yard touchdown pass to Leonard Golson 42 seconds before halftime.

Eagle Rock took a 21-14 lead with 4:58 left in the third quarter on a 54-yard touchdown pass play from Session to Nick Valencia. But that was the only pass Session completed during one-for-14 second half.

Palisades answered with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Koral to Lazarus with 14 seconds left in the quarter, then went ahead to stay three and half minutes into the fourth quarter when Koral hit Beegun in the right corner of the end zone.