It may seem insignificant to some, but after Thursday’s win Indio High School is now 2-0 in football for the first time since 2007.
That should be a big deal for the school. But the work is not done, and head coach James Dockery said as much this week at practice, after a big season-opening win.
But after a second big win, this time a 28-7 win over Indian Springs, it feels significant. Not just because of the amount of time that has passed since last time the school opened with consecutive wins, but also because of the confidence that will surely come from these two lopsided outcomes. That makes this feel sustainable.
Last week’s 53-6 win was an outlier at Indio, at least in recent years. Thursday’s win added validity and showed that there is indeed
something special happening at Indio this year and perhaps beyond.
Indio never felt in trouble in this one. The Rajahs led 14-0 at the intermission and then went up 21-0 before Indian Springs scored early in the fourth quarter.
After leading Xavier Prep to its first playoff berth, first playoff win, first league title and first CIF Southern Section semifinal appearance, Dockery is now looking to restore a once proud football tradition at Indio.
It’s off to a better start than most could imagine. But the Rajah’s journey back to being taken seriously as a football program has only just begun.
Three stars of the game
Adam Tremper, a senior running back, scored both of Indio’s first half touchdowns. He first scored on a 45-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He then scored on a 20-yard screen pass in the second quarter.
Senior Damian Durinzi intercepted a first half pass (after dropping another), threw a first half touchdown pass to Tremper and scored on a two-point conversion run. He also caught a 39-yard touchdown pass.
Jeremiah Apodaca, a senior linebacker intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter to give the Rajahs a 28-7 lead and essentially seal the Indio win.
Takeaway
Indio has a rich football tradition, being the first school from the Coachella Valley to claim a CIF football title. It’s still anyone’s guess if this year’s team is for real, but it’s cool to see the team playing with the kind of school pride that, frankly, this school and its alumni deserve.
I said it at the start of the season: Indio should be the favorite to win the Sun Valley League and return to the playoffs for just the second time in more than 20 years. After Thursday’s game, I stand by that.
Indio will now travel to Perris to attempt to move to 3-0.
Andrew John covers sports and recreation in the Coachella Valley for The Desert Sun. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Rajahs win again in historic outcome that signals a big change at Indio
