We caught a glimpse of what the Desert Valley League could be this season when Coachella Valley narrowly beat Banning last November in the first round of he CIF Southern Section playoffs. The 38-35 finish provided one of the most exciting games of the year among area teams.
Now, Banning moves with another playoff team, Desert Hot Springs, to the DVL to join Coachella Valley and Yucca Valley, the two DVL teams that reached the postseason last year.
That means the the league will be even more competitive than ever, with every team in the league coming off a playoff appearance. Banning and Desert Hot Springs replaced Indio and Twentynine Palms, who moved to the Sun Valley League.
But how will these four DVL teams fare in 2025? Here’s what we know leading into the 2026 season:
Banning Broncos
Head coach: Bobby Walls (first season)
2025 record: 9-2 (3-0 SVL)
Key returners: Senior quarterback Jacob Anzaldua and senior receiver Jmari Garlington were a first team all-league selections last season.
Offense: Anzaldua threw for a school record 40 touchdowns last season, with just 14 interceptions, and Garlington set a new school record with 17 receiving touchdowns. That’s a duo that should strike fear into opposing defenses.
The Broncos could be a bit one-dimensional, offensively, unless they find an adequate running back to fill the void left in the run game by a pair of departing seniors.
Defense: Junior linebacker Nathan Maness (102 tackles) junior defensive lineman Tana Ofisa each return for the Broncos.
Garlington and senior Tyler Pullen (four interceptions) return to help lead the defensive secondary.
Banning allowed the fewest points (55) in the SVL last season.
Remember the name: Garlington could be one of the most productive players in the area on both sides of the ball. His speed and skillset should help him rack up big-time numbers.
Coachella Valley Arabs
Head coach: Bill Johnson (46-16 in six seasons)
2025 record: 7-6 (3-0 DVL)
Key returners: Senior defensive lineman Sebastian Casillas was a first team all-league selection last year and senior quarterback Ivan Garza was a second team all-league selection.
Offense: Garza, who helped the Arabs to a league title and a CIF-SS semifinal appearance last year while throwing for 1,795 yards and 19 touchdowns, should be a star this season. He also ran 464 yards and five touchdowns and really shined during track season. So, he’s now noticeably stronger and faster than he was a year ago.
Garza will also benefit from a solid offensive line, which returns a pair of starters in guards Juan Ruiz and Jeremiah Cruz. The line is smaller than it was a year ago, but quicker and perhaps even stronger, Johnson says.
Ryan Rumsey, a returning starter at receiver, is among the fastest and most explosive players in the entire valley.
Defense: Casillas, who was the DVL’s defensive player of the year as a sophomore in 2024, should again be a force on the Arabs’ defensive line. He’s recorded 23.5 quarterback sacks over the last two seasons.
Angel Diaz, a senior safety who was a second team all-league selection a year ago, will lead the defensive secondary and play some offense. He’s a tough player who has a chance to have a special season.
Remember the name: Aaron Ruiz. The senior is the heir apparent to Ivan Garza at running back. Garza ran for a valley-high 2,270 yards and 28 touchdowns, but Ruiz has had an exceptional offseason and coaches believe he has the speed, quickness in space and football IQ to help the Arabs not miss much of a beat without Camargo.
Desert Hot Springs Golden Eagles
Head coach: Roy Provost (20-15 in three seasons)
2025 record: 5-6 (2-1 SVL)
Key returners: Senior quarterback Jaylen Turner returns for his third season under center and senior receiver and defensive back Dominic Ambal was an all-league selection last season.
Offense: Defense is usually the Golden Eagles’ strength, but this year’s offense looks scary.
Four of the five starting linemen are seniors, including 6-foot-1, 300-pound transfer Chief Togafau-Paleafei, who moved back from Hawaii and has multiple Division I scholarship offers. The lone underclassman on the line is Champ Paleafei, a 6-foot-3, 320-pound sophomore who started last year as a freshman and was named the team’s lineman of the year.
Turner and Ambal will be joined by another athletic senior in Jesus Valenzuela in the passing game.
In the backfield, senior running back Anthony Hodge had a huge offseason and is expected to be featured heavily. He’ll be joined by 6-foot, 240-pound senior Kei’mani Alger in short yardage situations and Provost said that 5-foot-9, 175-pound junior Ezekiel Ramirez should surprise the entire valley with his speed and elusiveness.
Defense: Alger, one of the most aggressive players in the valley, will move from the defensive line to linebacker, where he’ll be joined by Giovanni Diaz, who is only 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds but is the quickest player to the ball and, like Alger, is a big-time hitter.
Maverick Blaylock will lead from the safety spot, where his elite football IQ will be most beneficial. Ambal and Valenzuela will join him in the secondary.
Remember the name: Ramirez ran a 4.4-second 40 yard dash this summer and Desert Hot Springs expects him to be a gamebreaker in space, both running the ball to the outside and catching passes in the flat. His elite speed out of the backfield adds a dimension to the Golden Eagles’ offense that was missing last season.
Yucca Valley Trojans
Head coach: Jeremy Johnson (32-23 in five seasons)
2025 record: 7-5 (2-1 DVL)
Key returners: Senior receiver Aiden Pope was a first team all-league selection last year. Senior Ian Jarrett, who played running back and defensive back, was a second team all-league selection.
Offense: No school in the area returns a duo quite like Pope and Jarrett, who’ll be an explosive combo. Jarrett, who ran a 10.8-second 100 meters in the DVL Finals during the spring, also ran a 4.4-second 40-yard-dash and will play receiver and running back.
Pope is another dynamic athlete who is arguably the best all-around player in the area. He caught a valley-high 68 passes for a valley-high 1,178 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. Each of those numbers set a new school record.
At quarterback, the Trojans will have a pair of capable returners in senior Jesse Judd and sophomore Keymorie Rogers. Both are dual threats who have impressed coaches during the offseason and one will start under center and the other will move to receiver and be the backup under center.
Silias Bloodworth, Deegan Storm and Sam Sesma give the Trojans a host of quality options at running back.
Defense: Seth Mauk is back at linebacker to lead Yucca Valley on defense. He finished last season with 79 tackles, including 10 for loss.
Christian Underwood and Ryker Hannah give the Trojans an aggressive presence on the defensive line and Jarrett and Pope will roam the secondary.
Remember the name: Sesma will be one of multiple rushers for the Trojans, but he averaged 9.3 yards a carry last season and the impression here is that he could end up getting the bulk of the carries if that level of production continues into this season.
Andrew John covers sports for The Desert Sun. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Desert Valley League preview: All four teams coming off playoff bids
Reporting by Andrew John, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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By Andrew John, Palm Springs Desert Sun | USA TODAY Network
