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Dijon Stanley leads Granada Hills to first City Section football title since 1987

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VALLEY GLEN — The Granada Hills Charter football coaching staff spoke to the team about being legendary in the week leading up to the Los Angeles City Section Division I championship.

On Saturday evening, on the 35th anniversary of Granada Hills’ last City Section title, the Highlanders became legends in their own right, beating Palisades 44-7 at Valley College for the school’s third championship.

Granada Hills players celebrate after defeating Palisades Charter in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Granada Hills players celebrate after defeating Palisades Charter in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Granada Hills players celebrate after defeating Palisades Charter in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Granada Hills players celebrate after defeating Palisades Charter in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Dijon Stanley carries the ball for Granada Hills as they play Palisades Charter in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Dijon Stanley smiles after scoring a touchdown for Granada Hills as they play Palisades Charter in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Orion Norcon of Granada Hills tackles Palisades Charter’s Mikael King-Haagen in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Dijon Stanley carries the ball for Granada Hills as they play Palisades Charter in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Dijon Stanley of Granada Hills looks on during the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Oliver Taylor of Granada Hills sacks Palisades Charter’s quarterback Roman La Scala in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Dijon Stanley carries the ball for a Granada Hills touchdown as they defeat Palisades Charter in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Dijon Stanley carries the ball for Granada Hills as they play Palisades Charter in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Dijon Stanley carries the ball for a Granada Hills touchdown as they defeat Palisades Charter in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Dijon Stanley carries the ball for Granada Hills as they play Palisades Charter in City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Darrell Stanley carries the ball for Granada Hills as they play Palisades Charter in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Darrell Stanley carries the ball for Granada Hills as they play Palisades Charter in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Granada Hills recovers a Palisades Charter fumble in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Granada Hills football coach Bucky Brooks talks to his players during the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Dijon Stanley carries the ball for Granada Hills as they play Palisades Charter in City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

Sean Grier of Palisades Charter is tackled by Granada Hills during the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College November 26 2022.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)

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“We wanted to end it with a bang, and a lot of these kids have been here all four years and haven’t seen a lot of playoff wins,” senior Dijon Stanley said. “I knew we had the team to do it this year.”

Stanley ran for five touchdowns and 378 yards in the game, and he looked well prepared for the track and field season in the spring with three long touchdown runs — 39, 41 and 90 yards — in the first quarter.

Roman La Scala ran in Palisades’ only touchdown on a quarterback keeper with nine minutes to go in the first quarter.

While Stanley, a Utah commit, rattled off highlight-reel plays on offense, the Granada Hills defense consistently forced turnovers to keep the offense on the field.

“The improvement of the defense in the last half of the year has really been the catalyst of the championship run,” Highlanders coach Bucky Brooks said.

Granada Hills defensive lineman Oliver Taylor sacked La Scala on a third-and-11 to force Palisades (10-4) to punt just before the opening quarter expired. Stanley then ran the ball 12 yards for a touchdown one minute into the second quarter.

The Highlanders (11-2) punted for the first time in the game midway through the quarter, but held the Dolphins scoreless on the drive with a big defensive stand on a fourth-and-1.

DJ Richmond polished off the half with a 5-yard touchdown run to put Granada Hills up 36-7 at the break.

The Granada Hills defense forced one more fumble at the start of the fourth quarter, which set Stanley up for his final touchdown run.

Stanley has been training for track season all throughout football season with his cousin and father.

“In track every little second matters and in football, every little yard matters,” said Stanley, the City Section’s 400-meter champion last year. “Everything matters because you never know when your last play is.”

When Granada Hills won its last City Section championship in 1987, Brooks was still a high school student in North Carolina. He went through his own college and professional careers in the sport and now gets to see players of his own become legendary for themselves.

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That meant team practices at 5:45 a.m. and off seasons that consisted of three days in the weight room and five days of general workouts.

“For them to pour in all of that and to get rewarded for it, that’s what it’s about,” Brooks said. “Hopefully they’ll take the lesson that if you work hard, you keep your nose to the grindstone, eventually you’ll reap the rewards of the work.”

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