The King/Drew Golden Eagles football team won their first-ever championship after defeating the Palisades Dolphins 56-35 in the City Section Division I championship.
The football team started in Fall of 2022 and many of the players had never played football at the time, according to Golden Eagles football coach Joe Torres.
The young program added on to a prominent year for the athletics department at King/Drew. The boys basketball team won the City Section Open Division title last spring and the flag football team reached the Division I City Section championships.
Senior Jahmir Torres put King/Drew on the scoreboard first on a nine-yard touchdown catch late in the first quarter. Sophomore Damico Martin committed a 61-yard run to nudge the King/Drew score up to 14-0.
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Jahmir is the son of Torres, he was elated to secure the victory with him.
“It’s his first time ever winning the championship,” Torres said. “Him coming out his last year and giving me the opportunity to coach him and… push him and guide him into getting his opportunities, it’s a blessing for me.”
King/Drew quarterback Keenan Jackson gained first downs with his throws while Jahmir made gains on the ground. This led to sophomore Jayden Mitchell making a 33-yard touchdown catch.
Palisades junior quarterback Jack Thomas found his throwing rhythm, targeting senior Max Herjazi for a 21-yard scoring pass with 4:47 left in the fourth quarter.
Jackson and Jahmir would connect again to score on a 22-yard pass, giving the Golden Eagles a 28-7 advantage by halftime.
“We came out here, we wanted to shut them out,” said King/Drew senior Chinedu Onyeagoro. “Wanted to play physical and play hard.”
Both teams went into an offensive windfall during the third quarter. The Dolphins escaped a fourth down and a third down to reach a first-and-goal. Junior Deveron Kearney ran into the endzone from three yards out.
Jahmir took their punt return for a touchdown on the next play. Palisades scored six plays later when Thomas targeted junior Harrison Carter for a 29-yard play. Late in the third, Jahmir made a 35-yard rushing touchdown.
Jahmir attributed his offensive line to his strong rushing game during the matchup.
“My line, they were blocking amazing this game,” Jahmir said. “I know that they’re gonna move their guy to create space for me and I’m just depending on that.”
Palisades fought to close their 28-point deficit in the fourth quarter; their late rally entailed them scoring two more touchdowns.
The Golden Eagles head to the Division 6-AA State tournament. They will face the Portola Bulldogs of Irvine at Banning High School on December 6 at 7:30P.M.
