Whatever Palm Desert High School needed to learn last week, the Aztecs appeared to learn it.
Palm Desert rolled to a 31-13 win Friday at home against a Yucaipa team that looked dominant a week earlier against Shadow Hills. The win was the bounce-back the Aztecs needed following a 43-0 road loss to Victor Valley.
That loss was an uncharacteristic one for Palm Desert, and the Aztecs proved that in dominant fashion Friday.
Running back Drew Pham, a junior, ran for a pair of touchdowns, quarterback Joshua Perez, a junior, connected with senior receiver Cael Carter on a 64-yard touchdown pass and senior linebacker Ty Wiltrout returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to add an exclamation point.
Palm Desert moves to 2-2 on the season
and will face Redlands at home on Friday.
On the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Palm Desert held a moment of silence for those who lost their lives that day. The game was centered around a stars and stripes theme. Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. blared over the public address system late in the fourth quarter.
Palm Desert led just 14-6 at the intermission, but scored a 24-yard field goal by Reese Johnson to move the lead 17-6. Pham scored again to start the fourth quarter and Wiltrout essentially sealed the outcome with his interception.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Desert bounces back, looks sharp in rout of Yucaipia
