In the fall, he likes to hit. In the spring, he likes to avoid hits.
But whatever the season, Palm Desert dual-sport star Zach Gibbs is ready to compete.
“I love football because it’s so intense, and I just love tackling people. There’s a fun adrenaline to it. And then with baseball it’s less intense, but with that comes a lot more of the mental side, and that can be tricky,” Gibbs said. “But you’re going to get the same competitiveness from me whether it’s the baseball field or the football field.”
Gibbs, a senior, was one of the desert’s best on the gridiron and on the diamond during the 2024-25 school year. For his ability to play two different sports at an extremely high level, Gibbs has been named The Desert Sun’s Boys’ Athlete of the Year.
Let’s take a look at the accolades. He was a monster at linebacker for the Aztecs, leading the league with 133 tackles, 17.5 of which were tackles for loss. He led an Aztecs defense that allowed just 7.2 points per game as they grabbed a share of the DEL title. He was first-team all-league and The Desert Sun defensive player of the year.
Gibbs was just as valuable on the diamond as a starting pitcher for an Aztecs team that went 15-0 in DEL play. On the year, he went 8-1 with a 1.52 ERA, including five complete games. Gibbs had 53 strikeouts and was named the Desert Empire League’s top pitcher. Offensively, he contributed 14 runs and 16 RBIs for the champions.
His coaches agree with Gibbs that while others may have a 10-out-of-10 competitiveness level, Gibbs’ goes up to 11. And that goes for everything? Gibbs has recently gotten into pickleball, and he’s not out there to lose.
“What sets Zach apart isn’t that he’s the biggest or fastest player, it’s that every time he steps on the field, he competes relentlessly,” Aztecs baseball coach Ricky Gingras said. “No matter what he has that day, you are going to get every bit of it every time he steps on the field. Combine that with his work ethic and his weight room effort and that makes him tough to beat.”
Football coach Rudy Forti said Gibbs, who played on varsity for four years and led the team to three league titles and three Flag Game wins, had a magnetism about him without having to ever get loud.
“He’s a great leader and that’s what makes him so good, but he didn’t have to say a lot. People just kind of gravitated to what he was doing,” Forti said. “He’s instinctive. He had a nose for the ball as a linebacker. But it’s the total package. I told him I’ve been coaching for a long time, and he’s one of the five best players I’ve ever coached.”
Gibbs, who is going to Riverside Community College to play baseball, uses words like “fun” and “joy” to describe why he loves participating in sports so much. Of course, as already described, he wants to win and wants to win badly, but he’s also being honest when he says he loves being out there.
“I love to make a big hit, I love to make a big play, I love the camaraderie, I love the road trips. That’s really why I’m into all these sports. It just brings me joy,” he said. “Being out on the field and playing just gets everything negative out of your mind. You’re playing a game with your friends of three years, four years, however long, and you just go have fun out there and compete.”
That’s also why he didn’t hesitate to play multiple sports.
Gibbs had been playing baseball since he was 4 years old, and he only took up football as a 13-year-old seventh-grader. His eighth-grade year was wiped out by COVID so when he arrived at Palm Desert he made the conscious decision to play both sports — his old love baseball and his new love football.
He told himself he’d play both sports during his freshman and sophomore years and then make a decision. Heading into his junior year, he considered abandoning football and focusing solely on baseball.
He decided to continue playing both sports (making coach Forti the happiest guy in the desert) and the reason Gibbs gave was true to his vibe.
“I just knew I was going to miss out on so many memories if I didn’t play football,” Gibbs said. “I knew I would regret it.”
So Gibbs finished out his career with no regrets. He said he’d advise anyone making that same decision to stick with playing multiple sports. He believes it’s the best decision he ever made. More sports equals more potential for joy.
“If you can balance it, that dedication to both sports and your schoolwork, I really would say ‘Go for it.’: he said. “Whatever your two sports are or three sports, if you can do it without straining yourself so much that you fall out of love with any of the sports, then I say do it.
“But only if you love it. That’s the big thing.”
Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.
The readers’ choice
You voted: While The Desert Sun chose Zach Gibbs as its boys’ Athlete of the Year, we wanted to hear from you. We offered several viable candidates for you to vote from and you chose Kobee Finnikin, the baseball and football star for Rancho Mirage. Finnkin, whose football season was cut short by injury, had another stellar baseball season earning All-CIF in helping the Rattlers reach the semifinal.
Top Athletes for 2024-25
Here are The Desert Sun’s choices for the top boys’ athlete in every sport from the 2024-25 school year.
Football offense: Michael Ramos Jr., Yucca Valley
Football defense: Zach Gibbs, Palm Desert
Cross country: Luis-Fernando Martinez, La Quinta
Water polo: Will Walz, Palm Desert
Wrestling: Josiah Tessandore, La Quinta
Basketball: Marcus Gragg-Buchanan, Rancho Mirage
Soccer: Ricky Perez, Coachella Valley
Golf: Luke Ringkamp, Palm Desert
Baseball: Jake Brande, Palm Desert
Swimming: Jack Reardon, Xavier Prep
Track and field: Jax Penny, Palm Desert
Tennis: Dilen Kakar, Palm Desert
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: This two-sport star is The Desert Sun’s Boys’ Athlete of the Year
Reporting by Shad Powers, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
