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

September 12, 2025 | View in browser

Los Angeles, CA - August 22: Pali High players line up to shake hands with Taft players after Pali's victory at the JV football game between Palisades High School and Taft High School on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025 in Woodland Hills, CA. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

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

After the Palisades fire badly damaged Palisades Charter High School, many close to the school's football program wondered if it could continue. The campus' stadium was in ruins and about 10 players had lost their homes.

Would there be enough players to field a team? Would first-stringers transfer? What would constitute a home game?

Forced into a fellowship of nomads, the team would journey to far-flung venues for practices and games, searching for what it had lost: Normalcy.