Selections for Colonial League team, defensive player and coach of the year.
Palisades seniors and juniors walked into Northwestern’s Tiger Stadium on Sept. 11 with a chip on their shoulders.
They were tired of losing. The close-knit core was coming off a 3-7 season and grew up together winning a lot of games, but never capturing a championship.
They wanted to change all of that in 2020.
Those Pirates upperclassmen walked off the Tiger Stadium turf having to deal with another challenge after a 36-28 setback.
“They were mad,” secondyear coach Ramie Moussa said. “It showed the next week against Wilson.”
Palisades won four games in a row after that season-opening setback before being faced with another challenge following a 27-0 home loss to Notre Dame-GP.
“That was a wakeup call,” Moussa said. “They won some games and were feeling good about themselves.
“Now they were faced with a reality check. If they wanted to reach their goal, they were going to have to step it up.”
The Pirates did that, winning their last four games to finish 8-2 and capturing the District 11
Class 2A championship.
Moussa’s resilient bunch is recognized as The Morning Call’s Colonial League team of the year for being the only league team to win district gold.
There were many contributors. Senior Mason Smeland led the league in rushing yards thanks to a tenacity that led to many yards after first contact.
Senior linebacker Ben Haubert’s knack for finding the ball led the Pirates defense that played like Smeland ran.
Jon DeNato and Austin Winters were other seniors who contributed all over the field as a small roster had many playing on offense and defense and others on special teams.
Juniors Kyle McGrath, Nick Petrillo and Jaden Newton improved as the season wore.
And senior Zach Smith’s contributors were many — none more valuable than his leadership.
“He is one of the better leaders I’ve been around,” Moussa said of his two-year captain. “Knowing how to deal with other kids, kids that age is tough. Alot of kids don’t know how to lead within their own group. You’ll see a kid yell at another kid in a way that’s not encouraging or positive.
“Having Zach on the field is like having another coach. The kids respected him. Everything he said was so valuable for us.”
Smith ran the ball in Palisades’ single-wing package, and was a valuable receiver and steady defensively at safety.
Palisades’ resilience was tested after it arrived at Saucon Valley for the regular season-ending rivalry game, only to find out it was canceled because COVID-19.
The Pirates didn’t play well against Palmerton, which was sandwiched between the Notre Dame-GP loss and the Saucon cancelation, but their best football came during the playoffs.
“Practices in the playoffs were great,” Moussa said. “And we played the best three games we played all year.
“The last time we talked to the team on the field after the [district championship game], the first thought that came to me was that this was going to change these kids’ lives. The adversity you fight through as adults, the unknowns can wear on you. This is going to help them a lot one day, whether it’s adapting to life, going onto college and playing at the next level or getting a job and becoming a successful part of society.”