Pali High football: A team of wildfire nomads searches for normalcy

"Twenty-four days after the worst wildfire in L.A. history burned their stadium, members of the Palisades Charter High School football team stretched and twisted on a middle school field in Santa Monica. To the north, a sickly orange haze hung along the horizon, a reminder of the inferno that had reduced parts of their school to a ragged tangle of charred masonry, metal and wood. About 10 players had lost their homes in the Palisades fire."

"During these confusing, grief-ridden days, those close to the football team - which in 2024 made it to the City Section Division I championship game - questioned whether continuing the program was possible. Would there be enough players to field a team? Would first-stringers transfer? With their Stadium by the Sea in ruins, what would constitute a home game? But on Jan. 31, the same day the Palisades fire was declared 100% contained, simply gathering for a practice felt like a kind of quiet reclaiming."

""I am not going anywhere," the players echoed in the social media clip. "We will field a football team," one of them insisted. Then came a new refrain, determined and dauntless: "Pali strong!" 'Desperately needed' workouts Despite the viral pledge, several players were leaving the school, transferring in search of stability. Head coach Dylen Smith was staying put. So was Kelly Loftus, then a varsity assistant coach, who postponed his retirement."

A catastrophic wildfire damaged Palisades Charter High School and destroyed the stadium, displacing about 10 players and leaving a scorched landscape. Team members practiced on a middle school field amid an orange haze and doubts about whether the program could continue. Concerns included insufficient roster numbers, potential transfers, and the loss of a home field. On Jan. 31, with the fire fully contained, a practice served as a quiet reclaiming and moment of solidarity. A viral clip captured players pledging to stay and field a team. Coaches committed to remain, and an assistant postponed retirement to support recovery.

Read at Los Angeles Times