After shutting out Cleveland Magnet to win their season opener, the Wolverines football team lost 34-37 to Palisades Charter, falling to 1-1 on the season. Thursday night marked their first loss under new head coach Dameon Porter, who was hired after Aaron Huerta’s departure following the 2024 season in which they went 4-6.

Wide receiver and safety Dylan Fullmer ’27 said Porter and his staff have brought much-needed energy to the program.

“The atmosphere on and off the field has changed immensely,” Fullmer said. “The team and staff have been giving a ton of effort into the new mentality and atmosphere.”

Despite Palisades scoring 12 points in the first six minutes of the game, the Wolverines managed to outscore the Dolphins in every subsequent quarter. Ultimately, they came three points short against the Dolphins.

Fullmer said fundamentals were the team’s main concern early on.

“The primary issues we faced were just the details,” Fullmer said. “After the first quarter, we were the better team. Something the team can focus on moving forward is coming out as strong as we did out of the second quarter and beyond.”

Similarly, Palisades recovered another Wolverine fumble after starting the second quarter with the ball. Despite reaching the Harvard-Westlake five-yard line, Palisades turned the ball over on downs; Aaryan Medhi Williams ’27 responded with a 35-yard pass to Solomon Moore ’27 for a touchdown that cut the Palisades lead in half. After allowing a third touchdown to Palisades, Fullmer returned a kick for an 80-yard touchdown, cutting the Palisades lead to 19-13.

The Wolverines began the second half with a three-yard rushing touchdown by August Sone ’27 to tie the game; freshman kicker Kasra Maghami ’29 completed the PAT attempt to give them their first lead of the night. The lead was short-lived, however, as Palisades’ wide receiver King Demethris ’26 caught a 63-yard pass for a touchdown to put the Dolphins in front by five.

With eleven minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins added to their lead with another passing touchdown. Sone added to his incredible performance with another two more rushing touchdowns in the fourth. With a minute left, Medhi Williams completed a two-point conversion to Asher Taillieu ’27, cutting the Palisades lead down to three.

Despite shutting out Cleveland in week one, four Palisades receivers logged at least 80 yards, including Demare Dezeurn, who recorded 194.

The Wolverines play Venice, which also holds a 1-1 record, this Friday, September 5.