Championship seasons are memorable on their own. Three in the same school year is something entirely different.
Barstow football delivered the High Desert’s first CIF State football championship. Victor Valley boys basketball ended a drought that stretched back to 1953. Riverside Prep softball captured the first CIF-Southern Section title in program history and added a state regional crown for good measure.
Different schools. Different sports. Different paths.
Together, they produced a school year unlike any the High Desert has seen.
Here’s a look back at those championship seasons, along with four title-game runs by other programs.
Barstow goes the distance
For more than a century, Barstow High School had built a proud football tradition. In 2025, the Aztecs took that tradition further than any High Desert team ever had.
After finishing 12-3 and winning the Desert Sky League title with a 4-0 record, Barstow embarked on a postseason run filled with dramatic moments. The Aztecs edged Apple Valley 10-7 in the CIF-Southern Section championship game, securing the program’s first section title since 1969.
The magic continued in the CIF State playoffs.
Barstow survived a tense Southern California Regional final with a 13-12 victory over Immanuel before advancing to the CIF State Division 4AA championship game at Buena Park High School.
There, on Dec. 12, the Aztecs completed their historic journey.
Behind two touchdowns from Nicholas Gaoa and a suffocating defense that produced interceptions from Degan Cardenas, Elijah Leleimene and AJ Lealofi, Barstow defeated Sutter 17-7 to claim the CIF State Division 4AA championship.
No High Desert football team had ever won a CIF State title. Barstow became the first.
Victor Valley ends a 72-year drought
When the final buzzer sounded at Azusa Pacific University on Feb. 28, an entire region could celebrate.
For the first time since 1953, a High Desert boys basketball team stood atop the CIF-SS.
Victor Valley captured the Division 8 championship with a dominant 78-47 victory over South El Monte, securing the first CIF-SS boys basketball title in school history after falling short in championship appearances in 1977, 1978 and 1996.
The Jackrabbits left little doubt throughout the postseason.
Victor Valley opened the playoffs with an 82-72 victory over Rubidoux before routing Trinity Classical Academy 88-53. The Jackrabbits then survived a rivalry showdown against Barstow, winning 75-70 in the quarterfinals, before overwhelming Redlands Adventist 83-43 in the semifinals.
That momentum carried into the championship game, when Victor Valley completed one of the most impressive postseason runs in school history and ended a drought that had lasted more than seven decades.
Riverside Prep makes school history
At Riverside Prep, a championship culture was established long before the final out was recorded.
Under first-year coach Lou Allan, the Silver Knights embraced a belief that they could compete with anyone. That confidence translated into the most successful season in program history.
Riverside Prep finished 29-4, won the first CIF-Southern Section softball championship in school history and later added a CIF State regional title, giving the program two banners in a single season.
Freshman pitcher Lila Morris emerged as one of California’s most dominant players, compiling a 22-1 record with a 1.43 ERA and 284 strikeouts in 156 ⅔ innings.
These teams all made championship game appearances
Adelanto flag football
In a season filled with firsts, Adelanto helped establish the standard for a new sport in the High Desert.
The Saints made a remarkable run to the CIF-SS Division 6 championship game during the inaugural season of sanctioned flag football. Adelanto’s defense carried the team throughout the postseason, allowing just 13 points in four playoff games and recording consecutive shutouts in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
That defensive dominance continued in the championship game against Bishop Alemany on Nov. 8 at Fred Kelly Stadium in Orange. The Saints surrendered just one touchdown and even scored their only points on a second-quarter safety. But offensive struggles proved difficult to overcome as Adelanto fell 6-2.
Apple Valley football
Apple Valley came within three points of delivering the program’s first CIF-SS football championship.
The Sun Devils finished 9-5 overall and placed second in the Mojave River League with a 4-1 record before putting together a postseason run that culminated in a home championship game appearance against Barstow in the Division 7 final.
Founded in 1967, Apple Valley was making just its second CIF-SS championship game appearance. The Sun Devils previously reached the title game in 2021.
In front of a packed crowd at Newton T. Bass Stadium on Nov. 28, Apple Valley battled throughout a defensive struggle before falling 10-7 to Barstow.
Hesperia boys basketball
For a program that had spent years knocking on the door, 2025-26 finally delivered a breakthrough.
Hesperia captured a share of the Mojave River League championship with Oak Hills after posting a 9-1 league record and entered the postseason with a 20-7 overall mark. Behind the dominant play of senior forward Nolan Newman-Gomez, the Scorpions assembled one of the most impressive playoff runs in program history.
Newman-Gomez elevated his game when the stakes were highest, averaging 26 points and 13.5 rebounds during the postseason. He erupted for 34 points and 16 rebounds against Elsinore in the second round before leading Hesperia past national powerhouse Mater Dei in the semifinals, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds in a 57-52 victory.
The win sent the Scorpions to the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 championship game at Toyota Arena in Ontario, where they faced Bishop Amat on Feb. 28. Hesperia entered the contest allowing just 52 points per game during the playoffs, but Bishop Amat’s high-powered offense proved too much as the Scorpions fell 71-48.
Though the season ended one game short of a title, Hesperia’s run showcased one of the High Desert’s premier players in Newman-Gomez, who signed with the University of Idaho after beginning the season without a Division I scholarship offer.
Granite Hills boys soccer
History was made long before the championship match kicked off.
For the first time since the school opened in 1999, Granite Hills advanced to a CIF-SS boys soccer championship game. The Cougars also became the first boys sports team in school history to reach a CIF-SS final.
Granite Hills earned the breakthrough with a dominant postseason performance built on defense. The Cougars entered the championship match having allowed just one goal in four playoff games. They opened with a 3-0 victory over Glendale, survived penalty-kick shootout wins against Santa Fe and Cypress, and then blanked Indian Springs 3-0 in the semifinal to secure the historic berth.
The Cougars carried a six-match winning streak into the championship game after finishing 12-4-5 overall and winning the Desert Sky League title with a 6-1-1 record.
While the season ultimately ended one victory short of a championship against University in the Division 4 final, Granite Hills established a new benchmark for the program and delivered one of the most memorable soccer seasons in school history.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: History Made | These High Desert teams delivered championship seasons for the ages in 2025-26
Reporting by Jose Quintero, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jose Quintero, Victorville Daily Press | USA TODAY Network
