Friday’s win was a nice first step for Palm Desert High School. But there’s still some work to be done.
The 30-0 bounce-back win over Palm Springs came after back-to-back losses, to Xavier Prep and Shadow Hills and sets up an intriguing matchup against La Quinta in the Flag Game next week, in the final game of the regular season.
The Aztecs (5-4) enter next week’s game 2-2 in the Desert Empire League, tied with Xavier Prep and Rancho Mirage in the league standings. La Quinta is 4-0 in the league and has already clinched the league title, and Shadow Hills and Palm Springs are each 1-3.
Palm Desert can finish as high as second in the DEL with a win, and as low as fifth in the six-team league with a loss.
The Aztecs can still finish in the top-three
in the league and secure an automatic postseason berth in the CIF Southern Section playoffs. But it wouldn’t have been possible without Friday’s win.
It was a complete team effort in a downpour that lasted the entire game. Palm Desert’s defense forced seven turnovers and recorded a safety and recorded a shutout a week after allowing 32 points to Shadow Hills. Offensively, the Aztecs scored 30 points for the first time since Sept. 18.
Both teams struggled to hold onto the ball as rain kept the ball wet from start to finish. The footing on the field was also severely affected.
The three stars
Senior defensive back Jacob Cohn intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble and was among a handful of players who helped set the tone for the Aztecs in Friday's game. He was also vocal on the sidelines, encouraging teammates and keeping them fired up throughout the night.
Junior quarterback Jacob Perez threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth to clinch the win.
Senior receiver Trey Boulton made one of the best catches of the season in the first quarter, when he bobbled a pass and still managed to come down with the catch despite defenders draped over him.
Takeaways
This felt like a turning point game for the Aztecs. I don't know exactly why they scored just three points against Xavier Prep and then allowed 32 to Shadow Hills last week. I wasn't there. But it felt like Friday's game was a bit personal for Palm Desert, like the Aztecs were proving to themselves that they are better than they had recently shown.
I don't know what'll happen in the Flag Game, obviously, but I think it will be a much better game than I had previously expected. It's an important one for both teams, even if La Quinta has already won the league. But I think it'll be especially important to Palm Desert for the sake of securing an automatic playoff berth, which La Quinta has already done.
For Palm Springs, there's still some hope for a postseason. But it now requires a win over Rancho Mirage in the regular season finale.
I expect Palm Springs to give Rancho Mirage a fight and that the game will be closely contested.
Andrew John covers sport 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: Palm Desert bounces back to set up intriguing regular season finale
