It's the first week of play in the Desert Empire League, and that's typically when high school football in the Coachella Valley really begins to heat up. And we're starting DEL with a bang.
The game that immediately jumps off the page is Palm Desert at Rancho Mirage. Why, exactly? I mean, yeah, Palm Desert won a share of the league last year with Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage finished last. So, why is this Game of the Week material?
Well, Rancho Mirage has looked solid this season, and is 4-1 in its first four games this season. That included a very impressive comeback win over Desert Hot Springs two weeks ago. Palm Desert, meanwhile, is 3-2 and has looked about as good as anyone in the valley aside from a blowout loss to Victor Valley earlier
this season.
Rounding out the rest of the DEL schedule, La Quinta faces Shadow Hills and Palm Springs faces Xavier Prep.
Outside the DEL, Indio will look to rebound from a Bell Game loss. But it won't be easy against Desert Hot Springs. Coachella Valley looks to build on its win over Indio and Desert Mirage is aiming to go 5-1 for the first time in school history.
Then there's Desert Christian Academy, a team that could finally face some adversity against Ontario Christian.
So, let's get to the picks. Sports editor Shad Powers was 7-0 with his picks last week and is 38-23 on the season.
I was 6-1 last week, as I was wrong in picking Indio to beat Coachella Valley (and rightfully got roasted for it). I'm now 48-13 on the season.
Here's who we're each taking this week:
Andrew's picks
Friday's games
- Palm Desert 24, Rancho Mirage 14
- Xavier Prep 28, Palm Springs 21
- La Quinta 27, Shadow Hills 7
- Yucca Valley 42, Cathedral City 13
- Desert Hot Springs 28, Indio 14
- Desert Mirage 35, Calipatria 7
- Coachella Valley 28, Southwest EC 6
- Desert Christian Academy 28, Ontario Christian 24
Andrew's game of the Week: Palm Desert at Rancho Mirage — These two teams shared the DEL title in 2024, then Palm Desert won a share of it last year while Rancho Mirage went 0-and-5 int he league. You can bet that the Rattlers want this one pretty badly, after a 31-7 loss to the Aztecs in 2025. But Palm Desert might still be one of the two best teams in the league, so it won't be easy. I think Palm Desert's defense will just be a bit too good for the Rattlers to secure the win.
Shad's picks
Friday's games
- Palm Desert 24, Rancho Mirage 10
- Palm Springs 28, Xavier Prep 20
- La Quinta 43, Shadow Hills 13
- Yucca Valley 51, Cathedral City 13
- Desert Hot Springs 34, Indio 7
- Desert Mirage 38, Calipatria 21
- Coachella Valley 40, Southwest EC 20
- Desert Christian Academy 37, Ontario Christian 27
Shad's Game of the Week: Palm Springs at Xavier Prep — This feels like it will be a consequential game when it comes to the final league standings, because I think the team that loses will have an uphill climb for playoff spot, while the winner will position themselves well for the final stretch. The big question in this one is will this be the debut of talented Sam Mourhess at quarterback for the Saints after sitting out the first five games due to transfer rules, and if so, how good will he be? The teams have had opposite starts as the Indians' offense has been clicking but defense quite porous. The Saints have a stout defense and a not-so-explosive offense so far. We'll know a lot about these two teams after Friday.
Andrew John covers sports and recreation in the Coachella Valley for The Desert Sun. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com. Find him on Instagram at @desertwriter.
Shad Powers is the sports editor at The Desert Sun. Email him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Week 7 high school football picks and score predictions
