Desert Mirage High School is 2-0 and Coachella Valley is 0-1 entering Week 3 of the high school football season in the Coachella Valley. Yeah, there are a few oddities happening so far this season.
How about Desert Hot Springs being 2-0 and Xavier Prep being 0-2 and losing to the Golden Eagles, a team the Saints beat 31-0 last year, on Friday? How about Palm Springs barely showing up in Week 1 and then turning around and blowing out an opponent 35-0 a week later?
What about Indio starting the season 2-0 for the first time in 19 years? Or maybe you're interested in Rancho Mirage, a team that lost its last five games last season, starting the season 2-0 against a pair of playoff teams from a year ago?
Whichever team in the area that you follow, there's
bound to be some sort of interesting storyline, good or bad. It's difficult to say "bad" because it's still so early in the season and very little of this is truly bad. But it's still worth breaking down, and we'll do that with our weekly power rankings.
This is how we're ranking every high school football team in the valley, 1-14, based on our subjective measurements.
1. La Quinta (1-0)
Maybe this is a bit of an overreaction to one win, but I’m moving the Blackhawks into the top spot after their 58-28 win over Yucca Valley on Friday. While I don’t think Yucca Valley is the best opponent La Quinta will face this season, the Blackhawks made this win look easy and I’m impressed with how seamlessly La Quinta moved the ball in just their first game of the season. I think that will continue and that the quarterback play of Mason Flores, which was impressive, is a key indicator of how good this team can be.
2. Palm Desert (1-1)
The Aztecs lost on Friday, but in double overtime against a Central (El Centro) team that is traditionally very good. While allowing 33 points is a bit alarming for a Palm Desert defense that is regularly one of the best in the area, the Aztecs have scored 54 points against two quality opponents this season and that’s a positive.
3. Rancho Mirage (2-0)
Picking up where they left off last week, the Rattlers beat another Desert Valley League team to remain unbeaten. There’s a lot to like about how Rancho Mirage is playing this season, with stingy defense and enough offense. I think the quarterback play has been quite solid, which is a factor in these rankings.
4. Desert Hot Springs (2-0)
Friday’s win over Xavier Prep was enough to convince me that the Golden Eagles are indeed as good as I thought they’d be before the season began. This team has its flaws, like every team, but the defense is very good and there’s enough offensive playmakers and leaders on the team this season to believe that Desert Hot Springs could at least hang with, or even beat, any team in the area. I believe that.
5. Desert Christian Academy (2-0)
The Conquerors cruised Saturday to a 53-0 win over Arrowhead Christian. So, now Desert Christian Academy has two blowout wins to start the season. But we're still not sure just how good this squad is this season. Can't wait to see this team match up against Yucca Valley on Sept. 11.
6. Shadow Hills (1-1)
This is a bounce-back spot for the Knights, who move from 9 to 6 with Friday’s win over Palo Verde Valley. Now, the 26-6 win didn’t come against a standout opponent. but it was convincing, and Shadow Hills was able to make adjustments from their Week 1 loss. So, I give first year head coach Nick King a lot of credit and I think that is a good sign for Shadow Hills.
7. Indio (2-0)
Following Thursday’s 28-7 win over Indian Springs, the Rajahs jump from 11 to 7 in these rankings. Indio is now 2-0 for the first time since 2007 and there’s a belief on that sideline at Ed White Stadium that I’ve, frankly, never seen before at Indio. I’m not suddenly convinced that this team would hang with the top teams in the Desert Empire League, but no one is asking that of the Rajahs. Just one step at a time.
8. Xavier Prep (0-2)
The Saints are the most unique team in the valley this season, in my opinion. They have a beautiful new stadium and some very good players, including Fresno State commit Jacob Vann. But they have scored just 13 points in two games, in part because of some key players who’ve not yet played. Once they get their full squad, I still believe that this team could be very good.
9. Palm Springs (1-1)
Some may have written the Indians off after a blowout loss to open the season, but Palm Springs bounced back nicely with a statement 35-0 win over Grand Terrace on Thursday. Maybe the Indians need to be higher in these rankings. I’ll admit one thing; Palm Springs will likely shoot up these rankings if the Indians beat Coachella Valley convincingly this week.
10. Coachella Valley (0-1)
The Arabs’ lone game this season resulted in a loss to Rancho Mirage, so there’s no need to worry too much. But since before the season we believed that this Coachella Valley group would have to find offense in the absence of departed 2,000-yard rusher Ivan Camargo and we didn’t exactly see that in a 28-12 loss on Friday.
11. Yucca Valley (0-2)
On the one hand, the Trojans have lost to a pair of DEL teams to start the season. So, they’re playing a challenging schedule. On the other hand, the defense on Friday left a lot to be desired and Yucca Valley is still not able to get the ball to their best playmakers as easily as we’d like to see. Hopefully that changes soon.
12. Desert Mirage (2-0)
I said last week that the Rams would need more than just one win for me to jump on their bandwagon. Now, with two wins, I’m getting close to hopping on, mainly because I see several winnable games ahead and a league slate that is looking pretty good for Desert Mirage. That the Rams have only allowed 14 points in two games this season is really impressive.
13. Cathedral City (1-1)
The Lions bounced back to beat San Bernardino, 22-20, after last week’s 21-6 loss to Santa Rosa Academy. I like seeing Cathedral City remain competitive despite the smaller roster in recent years. I'm a believer that valley football is better when the Lions are competitive.
14. Twentynine Palms (1-1)
A 28-27 win over Riverside Prep is just what the doctor ordered for the Wildcats on Thursday. It’s rare to see a team win and still be in the last spot in these rankings, but it shows just how nice of a week it was for many teams in the area. Let's see if the Wildcats can ignite a winning streak this week.
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: There's a new No. 1 in this week's high school football power rankings
