Palisades High School football team worked out at the Charger’s training center this past week.
Photo: MIA JONES/LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
By OMAR NAVARRO
In the wake of devastating wildfires, the Palisades Charter High School got a full NFL experience this week at The Bolt.
The Chargers, who continue to show their support for the Los Angeles community impacted by the fires, hosted Palisades’ varsity and junior varsity football teams on Tuesday in El Segundo.
Parts of Palisades’ campus was destroyed in the fires, including numerous athletic facilities and equipment used by the football program.
And with the program attempting to train and prepare for a season, the Bolts hosted Palisades for a visit that included a $50,000 donation plus a workout led by Chargers Executive Director of Player Performance Ben Herbert.
“It means the world to us,” Palisades High School Football Head Coach Dylen Smith said. “Just seeing these kids smile, obviously they got a lot going on.
“Having a distraction for a couple hours, have this experience with the Chargers, an NFL team, and see their facilities … it’s an overwhelming experience,” he added.
Many parts of the campus were lost, including areas that affected the team like the football offices, weight room and adjacent storage facility housing the program’s pads, helmets and uniforms.
The program’s field equipment was also lost, including everything from sleds to tackling dummies.
Chargers Director of Football Development Zac Emde said it was important for the team to get involved and provide a unique opportunity in these difficult times.
“Knowing what they’re dealing with, them, their families, their communities have been going through the last couple of months, last couple of weeks, we wanted to make sure that we had something here that we can give them a good experience to come out and get their mind off things and really have something fun that they’re looking forward to,” Emde said. “It’s nothing really more unique than to get to come to our team facility and work out with Coach Herbert and experience the weight room and team meeting room.”
Herbert himself was also on board and eager when approached with the opportunity, as he was looking forward to it.
“I was honored,” Herbert said. “It was brought up to me, I was like, ‘Love it, let’s get it.’ Anything and everything I can do.
“I couldn’t wait, I had been looking forward to the opportunity and once I saw the young men come into the room, saw the excitement on their face, I loved it,” Herbert added.
Upon arrival to The Bolt, the student-athletes all received Chargers practice gear and headed to the weight room, where Herbert introduced himself with a 10-minute speech that outlined his goals and expectations.
From there, the group went out onto the field, going through a number workouts that weren’t too far from what Herbert goes through with the Bolts throughout the season.
PaliHi players went through a workout at the Charger’s training center.
Photo: MIA JONES/LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
“There was some staples of what we do and those guys did,” Herbert said. “That’s by design. There’s things that I know have worked great for our guys and there’s things that there’s a direct correlation to what those players, regardless of level, things that are going to benefit them as well. It was fun to be able to teach them some of that stuff.”
The group enjoyed the focus and teachings of Herbert, head strength and conditioning coach Jonathan Brooks and performance analyst Lincoln DeWolf for hour-plus workout that included both strength and balance exercises.
The PaliHi team was able to work out in a professional NFL weight room.
Photo: MIA JONES/LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
At the conclusion, the group gathered as Herbert spoke to them and relayed his final message.
“The main thing I wanted them to understand was just striving to be the best version of yourself mentally and physically each day,” Herbert said. “Making sure the quality of what they were doing, their attention to detail, their consistency, the effort they brought, the camaraderie, holding one another to a high standard in the most positive way.
“It’s okay to set a standard, make sure that standard is high and then encouraging guys to be their best,” Herbert added.
To see all 86 photos taken at the camp, visit: https://www.chargers.com/news/palisades-fire-high-school-football-ben-herbert
The Los Angeles Chargers hosted the Palisades High School Football Team at its training facility.
Photo: MIA JONES/LOS ANGELES CHARGERS