The Desert Empire League high school football slate began last week, and somehow I was 8-0 with my picks. I think it's safe to say that we are starting to know which teams are the best in the valley.
Now, it's Week 8. Can you believe it? After this week, there will be just three more weeks of regular season football in the Coachella Valley.
If you're still following along with our weekly picks, I'm now 56-13 on my picks this season. Sports editor Shad Powers is 45-24. He was 7-1 last week, only missing on the Xavier Prep win over Palm Springs. Shad had the Indians winning that matchup.
This week, the matchups do look a little tougher to predict. I mean, that Rancho Mirage at La Quinta game looks very interesting, and I personally think that the Date
Bowl game between Coachella Valley and Desert Mirage is as interesting as that game has ever been.
Here's how Shad and I are leaning with our picks this week:
Andrew's picks
RANCHO MIRAGE AT LA QUINTA
The Rattlers (4-2) will look to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to Palm Desert, while La Quinta (2-4) will look to continue rolling after a blowout win over Shadow Hills. Rancho Mirage will likely need this win to stay in the DEL title race, but a La Quinta loss could put the Blackhawks in a tricky spot in that race, too.
I'm giving La Quinta the edge because of the home field advantage and because I think the Blackhawks have the skill position players to match up well with the Rattlers' explosive playmakers. The score: La Quinta 21, Rancho Mirage 16
PALM SPRINGS AT SHADOW HILLS
I think Palm Springs (2-4) will be able to score some points in this one and it appears, after last week, that the Indians' defense may have taken a step forward. Shadow Hills' loss to La Quinta drops the Knights to 1-5. The stakes in this game are fairly high as the team that loses will fall to 0-2 in the DEL and that's makes it tough to bounce back into the playoff picture. The score: Palm Springs 23, Shadow Hills 19
XAVIER PREP AT PALM DESERT
Here's a rematch of a game Xavier Prep (2-4) won last year. It was Palm Desert's only loss in the DEL and it's the reason the Aztecs (4-2) had to share the league title and not claim it outright. I expect that to be fresh in the minds of the Aztecs. The score: Palm Desert 27, Xavier Prep 14
COACHELLA VALLEY AT DESERT MIRAGE
I see this as a 50/50 game. Coachella Valley (2-4) has dominated this matchup for years, but this is the best Desert Mirage (5-1) team that we've every seen. They're big and physical and, yes, they have some playmakers. Still, I give the slight edge to the Arabs because they, too, are now playing well and the Rams will have to overcome the psychological disadvantage of trying to break a losing streak to Coachella Valley that goes back to 2011. The score: Coachella Valley 21, Desert Mirage 13
BANNING AT TWENTYNINE PALMS
The Broncos (5-1) are rolling and I don't see the Wildcats (2-4) stopping a runaway train. The score: Banning 49, Twentynine Palms 15
DESERT CHRISTIAN ACADEMY AT LINFIELD CHRISTIAN
The Conquerors (6-0) should dominate this matchup. The Lions (1-5) don't have the athletes to match up well with Desert Christian Academy. The score: Desert Christian Academy 42, Linfield Christian 13
Andrew's Game of the Week: Rancho Mirage at La Quinta. I'm looking forward to seeing how this Rancho Mirage defense matches up with the Blackhawks' offense and offensive line. I think up front in that matchup is where this game will be won.
Shad's picks
La Quinta 22, Rancho Mirage 20
Palm Springs 30, Shadow Hills 13
Palm Desert 24, Xavier Prep 15
Desert Mirage 33, Coachella Valley 28
Banning 51, Twentynine Palms 13
Desert Christian Academy 54, Linfield Christian 7
Shad's Game of the Week: Coachella Valley at Desert Mirage -- I'm buying in. This will be the game that will answer a lot of questions about how good Desert Mirage is. What I like about this year's version is they can play defense and they have multiple ball-carriers they can rely on. Coachella Valley has turned the corner a bit, but this year, the Date Bowl Trophy lives with the Rams.
Andrew John covers sports in the Coachella Valley for The Desert Sun. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
Shad Powers is the sports editor at The Desert Sun. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Upsets on the horizon? Picking all of the Week 8 football games
