Friday might’ve been the most impressive night of football we’ve seen to open a high school football season in the Coachella Valley over last 20 years, with nine of the 11 games featuring a winning team from the desert.
Rancho Mirage High School lost on Thursday, Cathedral City High lost on Saturday and La Quinta did not play the first week. Considering all of that, our weekly high school football rankings will look quite a bit different this week than they did last week.
In hindsight, it’s pretty silly ranking teams before the season actually begins and we’ve had a chance actually see teams play. Now that we’ve seen a few, we think we have a much better understanding of who will be the teams to beat in the valley this season.
Here are our Week 2 rankings:
1. Palm Desert (1-0)
Last week: 2
We knew that the Aztecs had a good defense again this year, and that much was evident on Friday. The Palm Desert defense scored two touchdowns on Friday, including a crucial 25-yard pick-six by Jacob Ochoa just before half, and a 30-yard scoop-and-score by Jackson Bishop for the Aztecs’ final touchdown. Brawley was 9-2 last season and is always a tough opponent for valley teams to play. But Palm Desert made Friday’s 23-12 win look relatively easy.
2. Shadow Hills (1-0)
Last week: 7
There should be no doubt that the Knights can compete for a Desert Empire League title after Friday’s 66-6 win over Indio. Some will point to the fact that Indio isn’t in the DEL and that the competition in the league would seem to be much tougher. But all the questions I had about Shadow Hills entering the game were answered. Yes, they have a very good quarterback in Jesse Rodriguez. Yes, they have a solid offensive line and can run the ball. Yes, they have playmakers on defense. If collectively healthy, Shadow Hills might be as good an anyone in the DEL.
3. Palm Springs (1-0)
Last week: 4
The Indians really impressed with a home win on Friday over a Segerstrom team that beat the Indians 37-0 last season. Jordan Johnson scored five touchdowns to lead Palm Springs to a 38-32 win in double overtime. That the Indians rallied and held on to win a close game against a tough opponent really should garner some respect. But they need to play a little better on defense to keep it going.
4. Coachella Valley (1-0)
Last week: 3
I don’t like dropping the Arabs after an impressive 33-21 road win at Vista on Friday, but that’s just how it goes sometimes. The teams ahead of them were just that impressive, and it could be argued that Xavier Prep deserves to be in this spot. But I’m sticking with Coachella Valley after the Arabs really showed something on the road, albeit against an average team. Still, the offense and defense looked sharp in the win and what’s particularly impressive is that big contributions came from several players. That’s the sign of a team that’s locked in.
5. Xavier Prep (1-0)
Last week: 6
The Saints beat Linfield Christian 46-14 on Friday, which may be equivalent to Shadow Hills beating Indio because we can’t say for sure how impressive the win was given the strength of the opponent. But what we do know about the win is that the Saints’ offense came to life and we didn’t get to see that a lot last year. Xavier’s defense also looked very good, with two safeties and a defensive touchdown. This team already appears to be the most intriguing we’ve seen at Xavier Prep in at least the last few years, and may even be flying under the radar a bit.
6. La Quinta (0-0)
Last week: 5
La Quinta did not play during Week 1. The Blackhawks will play at Yucca Valley on Friday.
7. Rancho Mirage (0-1)
Last week: 1
This is quite the drop from the top spot, and maybe not entirely justified. The Rattlers are better than this, but they really disappointed to open the season last Thursday in a 42-14 home loss to Christian (El Cajon). Christian is a very good opponent, so there’s no shame in the loss. But it was the many missed tackles, the dropped passes and the blown assignments that were discouraging to watch. Rancho Mirage is a well-coached team and will no doubt be prepared to play better this week against Coachella Valley, but this will not be an easy bounce-back game.
8. Yucca Valley (1-0)
Last week: 8
The 48-7 win over Arrowhead Christian was a big one to start a new era without four-year starting quarterback Michael Ramos, Jr. What was most impressive about this win was how the Trojans moved the ball with ease, throwing and running the ball, and how well the Yucca Valley defense played. This was about as thorough of a win as we saw in Week 1.
9. Desert Hot Springs (1-0)
Last week: 10
The Golden Eagles really opened some eyes on Friday with a 32-14 win over Rubidoux on Friday. Desert Hot Springs struggles offensively last season, and something appears to have changed. Desert Hot Springs held a 32-7 halftime lead and quarterback Jaylen Turner had a great game, with three touchdown passes and 153 yards passing. The matchup this week against Xavier Prep will be a tough one, but also very interesting to see just how good the Golden Eagles might just be this season.
10. Desert Mirage (1-0)
Last week: 12
The Rams surely deserve a little more love than this, after scoring 70 in their season opener to beat Desert Chapel on Friday. No valley team scored more. Devian Martinez ran for 311 yards and captain Omar Martinez ran for 259 and eight touchdowns, which tied the school’s single-game record. It’s anyone’s guess if the Rams are for real, but they really showed us something on Friday.
11. Desert Christian Academy (1-0)
Last week: 14
The Conquerors (1-0) handled Twentynine Palms, 36-12, on Friday and that’s actually really something. Beating a Desert Valley League team is no small feat for a small private school with obvious talent but not a very deep or big or experienced roster. Several freshman are playing for DCA this season. This will be a team to watch as they look to return to the CIF playoffs again this season.
12. Indio (0-1)
Last week: 9
The Rajahs looked overmatched on Friday, but there is some talent on the field at Indio and this group should be able to bounce back and at least compete a little better Friday at Fullerton.
13. Twentynine Palms (0-1)
Last week: 11
The Wildcats (0-1) will look to bounce back on Sept. 5 at Lakeside. They have a rare Week 2 bye week, but it’ll be good for them to pivot after Friday’s season-opening loss.
14. Cathedral City (0-1)
Last week: 13
Cathedral City’s 34-6 loss to Santa Ana Academy on Saturday was disappointing, but not entirely unexpected. The Lions are well-coached and have some talent, so there should still be optimism heading into Friday’s home opener against San Bernardino.
15. Desert Chapel (0-1)
Last week: 15
Sam Mourhess threw six touchdown passes and no interceptions on Friday, and four different receivers caught touchdown passes, and the Eagles (0-1) still lost big to Desert Mirage. The problem isn’t the Eagles’ offense, obviously. It’s their defense. Until that is fixed, the Eagles will struggle to win games.
Andrew John covers sports at The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Prep football rankings: Rancho Mirage falls, several others rise entering Week 2
Reporting by Andrew John, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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