Ep#4-Valley Football Powerhouses: Palm Springs' Perfect Execution and DCA's Rising Force

The quarterback position takes center stage in this week's Desert Valley Blitz as we welcome DCA head coach Chris Johnson to break down his team's perfect 3-0 start and analyze the offensive explosions happening across Coachella Valley football.

Coach Johnson reveals how his program's integrated youth football system is already paying dividends, with freshmen stepping up in critical moments. The Pazos brothers anchor a formidable defense, with Mauro registering an astounding 20 tackles in their previous game. Johnson believes Mauro "will play college football one day," while younger brother Alex is already ranked as the sixth-best linebacker in the country for his class.

Palm Springs continues their offensive masterclass with Bishop Miller orchestrating a perfect game against CV – nine possessions resulting in nine touchdowns. We analyze how defensive coordinator Coach Brown's strategic adjustments between 30 and 40 fronts created the defensive stops that complemented their explosive offense. Meanwhile, La Quinta's comeback victory featured quarterback Roman Ansley putting the team on his back with 29 unanswered points after trailing at halftime.

The conversation shifts to scheduling philosophy as Coach Johnson shares his winning formula: schedule one challenging "swing for the fence" game, two moderate 50/50 matchups, and two winnable contests to develop depth while keeping players healthy. This balanced approach allows teams to test themselves against superior competition while building confidence before league play begins.

Looking ahead to Week 4, we highlight key matchups including Shadow Hills facing Desert Hot Springs in a battle of teams looking to bounce back, while Palm Springs takes their high-powered offense on the road against traditional powerhouse Colton. With league play approaching, these non-conference challenges provide final opportunities for teams to refine their systems before the games that determine playoff positioning.

#highschoolfootball #coachellavalley #football #mayorscup #indiohighschool #shadowhillshighschool #palmdeserthighschool #laquintahighschool #coachellavalleyhighschool #palmspringshighschool #xavierprep #ranchomiragehighschool #cathedralcityhighschool #desertmiragehighschool #desertchristianacademy #desertchapel #deserthotspringshighschool #yuccavalleyhighschool #29palmshighschool

Transcript

Week Three Wrap-Up Introduction

Speaker 1 0:07

welcome back everyone to desert valley blitz . This is the week three wrap-up . Today already here , I know crazy , right , coach josh . And today , though , we have a real special guest . We have a special co-host for the wrap-up , mr chris johnson of dca head coach . Thanks for coming in , man thanks for having us , we're really excited to have you , man .

Speaker 1 0:24

we want to have your expert analysis on some of these games here , but first we're going to start with your team man . You guys are off to a fast start , 3-0 . I mean , you guys are opening some eyes . You're not really surprising me , because I knew what you had under the hood , but you guys seem to be doing it the right way . How are you feeling about your start , coach

DCA's Undefeated Start and Strategy

Speaker 1 0:43

?

Speaker 2 0:43

I'm really excited , man . It starts with a great staff and great kids , and we have that . We're one of the few teams in the Valley that has a tackle football program , and then we added a youth football program , which has kind of turned into a feeder . That's been absolutely amazing . So those kids are getting used to our system , getting used to our style right , and we're running it all the way through . So , but on the offensive side of the ball man , you got Ernie and you got Roy and you got Henry and George Thomas . Those are four dudes that are real dudes that can coach anywhere .

Speaker 1 1:11

Real good coaches Shout out to those guys they're real good and I can vouch I coach with them before they're excellent . So , it starts with their staff right .

Speaker 2 1:18

Yeah , start with the staff , and what I love about our offensive staff is we make you cover 52 wide right and you've got to cover the whole field . That's the hard thing for a defense right to cover the whole width of the field and we can hit you up top and we're not just a passing team . We'll run it . The big boys up front will get after it . So I'm really excited where we're headed at right now .

Speaker 1 1:36

That's awesome , man . Well , you guys are coming off a huge win , man . Huge win this week Desert Mirage . It was a big game , probably one of your tougher games initially , right ? Do you kind of want to break down how that ?

Speaker 2 1:47

went A hundred percent . I was mad at our AD when I seen our first three games . You know we have a ton of freshmen that are playing . I don't care how good you are .

Speaker 3 1:57

They're still freshmen right Going against 17 , 18-year-old young men Right .

Speaker 2 2:00

So our even 29 pawn . When we started they had a big front . We went out to Riverside a couple weeks ago . They had a big front and DM is solid up front bro .

Speaker 1 2:08

They got some big guys .

Speaker 3 2:10

Oh , my their center is huge .

Speaker 2 2:12

I think he's about 285 . The first play they touched the ball . I think they went for 60 on the quick trap . Really , oh bro , Trap , oh man , hit it fast . First play of the game , number seven , boom , popped out . I was like here we go . Their formula is to run the ball and to keep you off the field . We didn't touch the ball in the second quarter .

Speaker 1 2:36

Really the whole quarter .

Speaker 2 2:37

They milked it , we did not touch the ball in the second quarter . They ran the ball all the way down . We stopped them right before halftime . The clock ran out . They got down to like a five-yard line .

Speaker 3 2:45

Wow , they got after it bro .

Speaker 2 2:46

They got after it . They were big , they were physical yeah .

Speaker 1 2:50

Don't let the score fool you . What was the score at halftime ?

Speaker 2 2:53

Coach I believe it was real close right , it was 12-6 at halftime .

Speaker 1 2:55

Yeah , it wasn't sitting on the ball just running it right . Yeah , we got the ball .

Speaker 2 3:02

We made some adjustments . Like I said , they were running trapped . They were coming back with with counter , which they do a good job we played . We did them twice in passing league and we knew they weren't going to throw the ball . They're a running team but they can't throw it .

Speaker 3 3:12

Yeah right , they got us on a fourth down bomb play yeah , and we were stacking the box all night long .

Speaker 2 3:17

We had the free safety up , yeah , yeah yeah , so we hit a couple big plays and and our freshman quarterback stepped up , bro , he scored three times , I believe . Wow .

Speaker 1 3:25

Yeah , Mario stepped up . Man , he's playing really good . They do a good job .

Speaker 2 3:29

Then Nathaniel Guerrero came in after halftime because our starting running back Cash Scott ended up getting hurt . He got a face mask that twisted his helmet around , so we had to take him to the ER . Oh shoot . Yeah , it was pretty serious so hopefully he'll be available for us next week . But Nathaniel Guerrero , he showed out man .

Speaker 1 3:44

Freshman , too Freshman , so you have an all-freshman backfield back there Then .

Speaker 2 3:48

Judah Garrison had three touchdowns Wow . He's the number 53rd ranked player in California for his class . Wow .

Speaker 1 3:55

Yeah , so he's putting up some numbers , yeah yeah , that's Judah . He has five touchdowns in three games plays that kind of separated you at the end . That's what I kind of figured looking at the game , because I thought desert mirage would give you guys a little bit of trouble just running just because their size yes , it was going to be your guys's big play ability to kind of separate and that's kind of what happened , right when you're , when you're young and you're and you're small .

Speaker 2 4:14

The name of the game is to get it by two scores . Right , you try to get by two scores . So we had a six point lead at half . We came out and we scored . If you get that next stop now you put an opportunity on them . Where do we really commit to the run game or do we try to get back into it ?

Speaker 3 4:29

With the pass which they're not good at .

Speaker 2 4:30

Yes , so we were able to put together some stops and then our offense just got rolling . That's what that offense is about . If you give it touches , sooner or later it's going to get going . Yeah , and it got going . And they got going right at the right time . At the right time . I was happy , that's right I mean your defense has been solid .

Speaker 1 4:45

I think the last week it was pretty solid .

Speaker 3 4:47

Yeah , who's getting all those tackles ? 18 tackles a game the Pazos brothers .

Speaker 1 4:49

man , those guys are studs .

Speaker 2 4:51

I've seen them from the youth level . Let me tell you something I don't get a chance to get out and watch a whole bunch . Xavier got a couple kids , but Mauro Pazos is the real deal . I've seen some great players throughout my time . Mauro Pazos will play college football one day . That's awesome , he had 20 tackles . Last week 20? . He played a team and we

Palm Springs vs. CV Game Breakdown

Speaker 2 5:15

moved him to Will Linebacker .

Speaker 1 5:17

We had five starters out , so he played Will Linebacker , so he's on the weak side we cover him up Getting that many tackles .

Speaker 2 5:20

Yes , we cover him up . He's junior sale on Derrick Brooks . He plays behind that three tech Wow . And this past week he had to play three tech . He'll go back to his normal down safety position but he can play the deep ball . He can cover man-to-man . He even had a sack . We brought him , I put him at a three technique and we ran an exit stunt where you shoot the end and bring the three technique . He's smart .

Speaker 3 5:41

I take no credit to that .

Speaker 2 5:42

It's Pazos' legacy .

Speaker 1 5:44

His dad is a great coach , no , that whole family . They just breed linebackers .

Speaker 2 5:49

Yes , yes , and the youngest one coming up right now is , I think , the sixth-rated for his class in the country . Alex is the sixth-rated linebacker in the country right now . Watch out for him .

Speaker 1 6:00

I mean , I'm telling you the Pazos guys are legit and Coach you did a great job man Came in with that big victory . That's a huge victory , man .

Speaker 2 6:06

We had that one circled because DM gives us trouble . Last year we only got them by a touchdown . The year before that they beat us . They play hard , they're big and they're physical man yeah . Yeah , we definitely had a circle .

Speaker 1 6:15

Big public school man , so you knew you were going to get some big athletes out Again .

Speaker 2 6:26

my prediction holds true on this show people DCA's going on a run this year .

Speaker 1 6:28

Everybody's saying I'm a homer but , hey , I know what they got man . I'm a football guy . I've seen these kids since they were little , so great job , Coach man , I think the sky's the limit . Big win man .

Speaker 2 6:39

Thank you , San Jacinto Academy . They thought around .

Speaker 1 6:43

So we're going to move on to the game of the week . That Coach Josh game of the week was Palm Springs versus CV . Out at CV High School man on the date gardens out there , palm Springs man , we talked about this last week , they're on a roll man .

Speaker 3 6:56

Efficient offense that offense .

Speaker 1 6:57

So nine possessions . How about this Coach ? Nine possessions , nine touchdowns , first nine possessions . I mean that's like a pitcher throwing a perfect game , right ? I mean it doesn't get much better than that . I mean 61-27 is the final in that score . And Palm Springs man , I'm telling you they are putting on a show , yeah .

Speaker 3 7:17

Battle tested . I got to watch the game . It was interesting . I think I like the defensive coordinator for Palm Springs , coach .

Speaker 1 7:26

Brown . Yeah , coach Brown , he's been doing it forever , for a long time .

Speaker 3 7:28

I remember those articles in the paper about him buying the team donuts every time they Get a shutout I stole that from him , I stole that from him . For sure . I stole that from him all the time , but it was interesting . He came out in a 40 . They pop another one different kid and then he switches it to a 30 , and then they shut him down .

Speaker 3 7:48

Shut him down , so a little bit of adjustments just helped and then he went back to a 40 . They got a 10-yard run , he goes oh , I'm going back to a 30 . So it was interesting as a chess match . Watching that game , it was quite fun . Coachella Valley , on the other hand , they didn't really adjust . They just kept staying in their 30 .

Speaker 3 8:05

Sometimes you get rigid in your system and that's what we're going to run , but I thought the game was just that little bit of flexibility on the defense was what gave the edge to Palm Springs , because Coachella Valley , they have teeth man , they had some big plays and just hats off to you know , coach brown , on the defense yeah , I think initially it was a pretty close game , but yeah like second third quarter palm springs just exploded and um bishop miller led them to nine straight touchdowns . I mean , come on , he's got full control .

Speaker 1 8:36

Yeah , I mean they've got palm springs is turning out to be . I don't know if it's a surprise , but they're just off to a much better start . Last year they got beat up early and it kind of snowballed for them .

Speaker 3 8:46

Yeah , last year they played some really good games early on . They were very efficient . You kind of saw hints of this , but this year is just next level .

Speaker 1 8:54

And they're healthy .

Speaker 3 8:55

And they're healthy they're healthy .

Speaker 1 8:56

That's the key man . High school football , you got to stay healthy , man . So hey , palm Springs Indians , man , watch out . I'm thinking they're starting to show that they might be the top of the class here in the Valley . We'll see it's a long way to go . That's why they play the games . But very impressive , man , so shout out to the Indians . They're looking really good . Another interesting matchup this is Coach Josh's game La Quinta

La Quinta's Comeback Victory

Speaker 1 9:18

36 , citrus Valley 20 .

Speaker 3 9:20

La Quinta's home opener . Yeah , it was a good , good game . I got to go and watch it . La Quinta , you know they fell down 14-0 really fast . The quarterback for Citrus Valley was very good man and he was scrappy . He's running around making plays , but hats off to La Quinta , you know they were able to move the ball and make a comeback and , but hats off to La Quinta , they were able to move the ball and make a comeback . I really felt , as the game was going , it was like which quarterback was going to win the game . The quarterback such as Valley was trying to put the game on his back , Ansley was putting the game on his back and at the very end , you know , Ansley pulled it out .

Speaker 1 9:53

Oh yeah .

Speaker 3 9:57

He did a really good job moving the ball , keeping the sticks moving , and they executed and pulled out the W it was a really close game , though in the first half right . Wasn't LaQuinta down .

Speaker 1 10:02

Yeah 14-6 .

Speaker 2 10:03

14-6 , yeah , so I mean LaQuinta .

Speaker 1 10:05

It was not no pushover game .

Speaker 3 10:07

Citrus Valley was pretty good , right , yeah , they were very good .

Speaker 1 10:09

I think they just kind of ran out of gas in the second half right .

Speaker 3 10:12

They looked a little tired yeah 29-0 . Yeah , they went . 29 unanswered points . They were moving the ball all well , and defensively they were stuffing them , stuffing them and then they give up that big play . So they had a couple breakdowns in the secondary . I'm sure they'll get that figured out .

Speaker 1 10:30

And a big game for quarterback , Roman Ansley man .

Speaker 3 10:33

He had a great game Much improved from last year .

Speaker 1 10:36

He put that team , he put that offense on his back in the second half .

Speaker 3 10:38

right , he really did yeah .

Speaker 1 10:39

I mean , that kid did a great job , and he did what great quarterbacks do go out there and win games , man .

Speaker 3 10:45

That's off to him .

Speaker 1 10:46

Awesome , awesome job man Blackhawks .

Speaker 1 10:48

Moving on to our next

Shadow Hills' First Loss to Yucaipa

Speaker 1 10:50

featured game . Here , yucaipa comes down to Shadow Hills and gets a victory 45-20 . So this is Shadow Hills' first loss of the year . So this is Shadow Hills' first loss of the year and we spoke about it last week . I mean this is a big step up in competition for Shadow Hills . They've kind of played some teams that they should have beat . Now they're kind of getting into the teeth of their schedule . And Yucaipa man , we know Yucaipa very well . They've been coming to this valley for 50 years to play .

Speaker 2 11:14

I played when I was a kid yeah , me too .

Speaker 3 11:15

They have a very strong program , Very strong . We're going to get another chance at them too . They play two other desert teams this year I can't remember which ones . I believe they play 29 .

Speaker 1 11:24

Yeah , they play Palm Desert next week and we'll get to that in the next segment , so we'll get desert football , we'll get another crack at Yucaipa .

Speaker 3 11:32

They're good . They executed their offense very well . I haven't seen Shadow Hills play this year so I was interested to watch them . Kind of didn't get that high-powered offense going in the first half , but in the second half you started to see what the hype's about . They started to move the ball and I can see how they put up so many points the last couple weeks .

Speaker 1 11:52

Yucaipa's got a pretty good quarterback too .

Speaker 3 11:57

The quarterback can scoot man , he's fast .

Speaker 1 12:00

I've followed that guy since the youth days . Oh really , he's a pretty good guy . He's going to be one of those guys , probably playing college somewhere . Shadow Hills comes in and they get their first loss of the season 45-20 . I think they'll be ready for next week . Coach Ballmer will have them ready . But a little reality check . You're never as good as you think you are .

Speaker 3 12:18

Sometimes that's high school football man you win or you learn .

Speaker 1 12:22

Yeah , that's it man . So , moving on Rancho Mirage versus Talkwitz , that score ends up being Rancho Mirage 42

Rancho Mirage and Other Valley Results

Speaker 1 12:31

, Talkwitz 16 . But that score is very deceiving because the halftime score on that game was 35-0 . Rancho . Rancho came out and kind of boat raced them in the first half .

Speaker 3 12:42

I heard they got their passing game going a little bit more this week .

Speaker 1 12:44

Yeah , julian Hernandez is back there slinging the rock . I think , rancho man , just stick on the theme of talent , man . Those guys just got so much talent man . Jeremiah Johnson , I mean that guy's a stud no hook still out . No hook . I think he may still be out . So the kid that's been filling in for him is Chase Miller , and he's actually a converted receiver .

Speaker 2 13:04

And he's putting up big numbers .

Speaker 1 13:06

Yeah , he's been putting up some big numbers in that role , so maybe they move Noah Hook somewhere at this point , but I think they can probably share the ball . But Rancho Mirage , a pretty impressive performance at home .

Speaker 3 13:17

I knew Coach Matthews would be getting that offense going it takes a little bit of time sometimes and then , once you get it dialed in , it's fun to watch , right ?

Speaker 1 13:27

That Rancho team man watch out , because I know they got some younger kids on the younger levels and those kids haven't even came up yet .

Speaker 3 13:35

Got to have a good feeder program . Got to have a feeder program .

Speaker 1 13:38

They're riches of talent over there but those are good problems to have . And then another game we got is Lakeside versus 29 Palms . 29 Palms second game of the season . Coach , you know 29 Palms , they went out on the road on their first game and lost 45-8 . So you know another kind of game where they kind of got to find an identity and finally get back to the basics . But I think 29 Pons , once they get to that league schedule they're going to be real competitive in that new league that's being formed .

Speaker 1 14:07

They always have good athletes up there . Yeah , and I think you know sometimes it just takes a couple games to get your feet underneath , get an identity . So we're looking for 29 Pons to be real competitive in that league . And then , lastly , the Thursday game , and this one maybe Coach can speak to because he knows these teams very well . Yucca Valley goes into Cat City 55 to and gets a win 55 to 8 over Cat City at home , coach . So what do you think happened in that game , coach ? You know these teams pretty well , not surprised at all .

Speaker 2 14:35

We went against Yucca during the summertime in sevens and with our big boys . Their line is big , it's physical and they're coached really , really well . Cat City has some good linemen , but I'm sure Yucca probably won that line of scrimmage battle , so they'll get it turned around .

Speaker 1 14:52

Coach knows what he's doing up there .

Speaker 2 14:53

I've had a couple communications with them . They do a good job up there .

Speaker 1 14:57

Very well coached , right ? That's the same thing you said about Yucca Valley . They're pretty well coached .

Speaker 3 15:00

Well coached . There's not a lot of confusion going on . They line up and run their stuff as hard as they can . As a coach , that's all you can ask of your kids . They do it right up there , yeah .

Speaker 1 15:10

And on the Cat City side I know they lost a couple guys and they're real thin to begin with , so I think it's just going to be a man just managing their health and trying to get ready for league . I think they that's going to be kind of the goal . So cat city will be be back they have some good athletes .

Speaker 1 15:23

They have some good athletes yeah , they always got a couple guys that can hurt you . So , yeah , I think coach lee will have them ready for league . So we'll be looking for cat city to do something in a couple weeks here . So , moving on to that , so their big time thursday game that we were all interested in was Serrano at Xavier Prep , because Xavier Prep had kind of been rolling through people and we were kind of .

Speaker 1 15:45

I mean , you know , xavier Prep got some top line guys but me and coach Josh kind of talked about this on the other . On the other side of it is that Serrano's a program man .

Speaker 3 15:53

They've been doing it for a long time man , yeah , and they looked very efficient when they were playing they look great .

Speaker 1 15:57

So I think the running game , the defense , got going . Did you catch any of this game , coach ?

Speaker 3 16:03

I watched a little bit of it

Serrano vs. Xavier Prep Analysis

Speaker 3 16:04

. Yeah , they had some success running right at the middle on Xavier , I think . Some of the linebackers you know they had a really good I think was it his last name , pazos last year was a very good middle backer and I think they're looking still to kind of fill his shoes a little bit .

Speaker 3 16:17

Not that they played bad or anything . They were just playing a really good team that was running right down the A-gap , but they were hitting some receiver screens . That's a good program . Serrano was well coached and it was a good game in the beginning a little bit , and then it just kind of got away . And then later in the half Xavier , that offense started to click but it was just a little too late , right .

Speaker 2 16:38

I love that . Our guys are taking chances , though .

Speaker 1 16:40

Yeah .

Speaker 2 16:40

You know what I mean . We're getting out and playing to bigger schools .

Speaker 1 16:42

Yeah , I mean Toronto's a good program . Very good program . They got CAF banners in those rafters over there you remember Dan Armstrong .

Speaker 3 16:49

He was the hardest non-league schedule ever . What do you think about that ? You learn from playing someone . Maybe that's not as good as you . Sometimes you can work on some of the offense yes , trying to get some timing down and then you also maybe the defense learns more when you play a tougher team . Yeah , I was wondering that , because I've never put a schedule together Right and reach out to teams , and I bet you there's some type of strategy that's involved . Oh , 100% .

Speaker 2 17:16

Yeah , our basketball coach at Horizon taught me about it . He won 13 staff championships in 14 years . The one he lost was on a 90-foot you know full court length shot , oh my God . And Zach Jones won two back-to-back state championships as a matter of fact , you guys might know a guy .

Speaker 3 17:29

I've been thinking about that for a day for the rest of my life Jared .

Speaker 2 17:31

Dudley actually played for him . But what he taught me is , when you're to take one game that you swing for defense , where it takes absolutely your best game , yeah , to win that , to win that game , right . Yeah . So for us this year that would have been desert mirage , right . Then you want to take two games where it's kind of 50 50 50 , 50 , right , yeah , if we play decent , we have a chance . If not , we could lose . Right then the other two you kind of want to schedule .

Speaker 3 17:58

You never want to say I'm going to win , but hey , you know , a little bit lighter load so we can work on stuff that maybe because sometimes you're coaching , it's like , uh , every play is like like you can feel it in your heart like if we don't get this first down , we won't lose the game . You kind of want some freedom to call some stuff that maybe , yeah , if you don't get it , you can come back to your bread and butter and pick up the first down for and just for the attrition piece you're going to get hurt in football .

Speaker 2 18:19

Yeah , guides are going to go down right , absolutely so you schedule according to your depth and what you have , but that's usually the general rule . Out of those five games Swing for the fence once , have two moderate , and then you want to try to schedule two wins , two 50-50s and one swing for the fence .

Speaker 3 18:35

That's some great knowledge , man .

Speaker 1 18:37

I've never had to do a schedule either , but I think I'm going to steal that from you if I ever do .

Speaker 3 18:40

That makes sense . Man , you want to get some Ws , you know that's right man .

Speaker 1 18:45

So moving on to our last two games here of the week three , indio had their home opener I think we had that wrong last week . Rialto , which was a game that we were kind of excited about , but Rialto came in and actually kind of got the win , had a chance . Yeah , 43 , 12 ends up being the score . Rialto seems to be much improved . I know that program was down for a while , but I was checking out some of their scores . It seems like they're much improved they got some dudes .

Speaker 3 19:11

When we play , they always have athletes . They always have athletes in rialto .

Speaker 1 19:14

But uh , so they come down , hand india a loss . You know indio's , you know regrouping . Hopefully they can get it together for league . They only got three league games . So there's the silver lining If you win those three , you're champion .

Speaker 3 19:26

It doesn't matter what you do in the preseason .

Speaker 1 19:28

So that's got to be the running theme for Indio going forward is hey , let's focus on those last three , man , because those are the most important . And then , lastly , Desert Hot Springs went out on the road to Citrus Hills and lost 10-0 , which is a pretty tight defensive battle .

Speaker 3 19:44

I actually like those games . It's like 6-0 , 10-0 . It's a defensive game .

Speaker 1 19:49

Yeah , as a defensive coordinator I don't love those games . Give me some ulcers while I'm protecting a one-score lead . But Desert Hot Springs went out on the road , played a pretty tough opponent . Citrus Hills is in Riverside . I mean they're probably a pretty tough opponent . They handed in there couldn't quite get the victory . I think the same thing with them . They're kind of looking at league and that's when they're going to make their run .

Speaker 3 20:12

But Desert .

Speaker 1 20:12

Hot Springs has already kind of got off to a nice little start , so they're going to kind of repeat the same mold as last year , kind of finish strong and get into those playoffs . A couple losses , but to some good teams . Yeah , so the Golden Eagles , man , they're still right there . They got some good guys , Golden Eagles baby .

Speaker 1 20:25

Good guys up there , I think , and the coaching staff does a great job for them . So that is going to do it for our Week 3 wrap-up . So we're going to preview Week 4 coming up here , but after a word from our sponsors . Looking to upgrade your home ? Tile Designs by FINA is your one-stop destination for beautiful flooring , hard surfaces and countertops From timeless design , modern styles . They've got the perfect look for every room . Stop by today and transform your space with Tile Designs by FINA . Let's design together .

Speaker 3 20:53

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Speaker 1 21:13

Ipay Solutions is your local payroll and HR partner right here in the Coachella Valley . From direct deposits to compliance , we handle the details so you can focus on growing your business . I pay solutions local , reliable and built for your success . Welcome back , everyone , to Desert Valley Blitz . Week three wrap-up . We're going to go ahead and move on to week four . I can't believe it's already week four . Coach , it's already halfway through the season League is coming up . So , coach Josh , what is your game of the week ?

Speaker 3 21:39

for week four , it's got to be Shadow Hills DHS . Shadow Hills Two desert teams going heads up Shadow Hills coming off a loss , dhs coming off a loss , but I think it's going to be a good fight , man .

Speaker 1 21:53

Good test . Good test for both teams .

Speaker 3 21:55

You know , shadow Hills got that good offense . They always play good defense . Desert Hot Springs got that good offense they always play good defense . Desert Hot Springs got that spread offense . I saw them play . They got some good concepts . They can move the ball . They just got to sustain the drives with maybe a supporting running game . I think it'll be a good game though .

Speaker 1 22:12

I think it'll be a great game . I think Shadow probably is the favorite coming into that game . Probably yeah , just because they're in a bigger league . You never count out those Golden Eagles Coach . Never count them out . They're tough . They're tough man .

Speaker 2 22:23

They've got some scrappy kids .

Speaker 1 22:24

They've got some good coaching and , like you said , that's why they play the game right . Yep , that's why they play the game , so that's a good game . A lot of teams this week are on the road , though I'm . We'll start with the rest of the games . Thursday night games Palm Springs at Colton . Palm Springs at Colton . So Palm Springs has been on a roll . They're hitting on all cylinders offensively .

Speaker 2 22:48

Another good test for them I got Palm Springs . I got Palm Springs I mean nine straight touchdowns Coach last week . That offense is rolling right now .

Speaker 1 22:57

I mean , yeah , that offense is rolling . They got a lot of talent . But Colton's a proud program . Right , They've been around like a long time .

Speaker 1 23:04

Long time . I remember like them coming down and playing Indio in the 80s . So that's a proud program . It's on the road . That's always a tough one . Rancho Mirage is another team rolling right now . Ton of talent . They've got their guys back and they're looking good . That quarterback has got them on the move as well . So Palm Springs Rancho probably the two hottest teams in the Valley right now in terms of just rolling and playing well . But I did do my research on Ramona . It's an undefeated team . They're good Undefeated team at home . So I mean , I don't know the strength of schedule was . You know they played a lot of teams in Riverside . So you know it might be a little bit more of a test than Rancho Mirage maybe had expected here , because they seem to be playing pretty well .

Speaker 3 23:55

It's non-league , so let's go .

Speaker 1 23:56

It's non-league . It's Thursday , you got to get on the bus and get out to . Riverside , and you never know what could happen . But I think Rancho Mirage is going to be the favorite in that one as well , just because of just the sheer talent .

Speaker 2 24:11

The sheer talent . They got a receiver , darnay Scott . What's the good ? Receiver Johnson is his last name yeah , jeremiah Johnson , jeremiah .

Speaker 2 24:16

Johnson bro . He came to the first showcase I think it was and Darnay called me over . He's like Chris , this kid can play . You're talking about an eight-time NFL vet , you know All-American , and he picked that kid out and I watched him run around . I was like who is this kid ? When you have someone that talented in high school , if you don't have a DB1 , you're going to be in trouble because now you got to roll coverage . Yeah , and palm springs are the great coaches that if you roll coverage they're gonna go backside .

Speaker 1 24:41

So I got palm springs sounds like what happened last week . Well , yeah , and jeremiah johnson actually has a couple d1 offers .

Speaker 2 24:46

Coach I'm not surprised that kid is about eight , so yeah that's not only uh , major henshins that's getting d1 he's doing attention these days and that's , that's great for the valley guys .

Speaker 1 24:56

I mean , that's , that's , uh , that's what we've been fighting for . We've been fighting for that for years , because there's always been talent down there , just not enough exposure . So I think , rancho Mirage , I think you're right , though , coach , they're going to be favored in that game , but that's why they play them , and they're high school kids . You never know sometimes what you're going to get , as we coaches know .

Speaker 2 25:14

Best team on game day .

Speaker 1 25:16

So , moving on to Friday's schedule , palm Desert hits the road against Yucaipa , so Yucaipa coming off a big win here in . Shadow Hills . Palm Desert's got to go on the road and face them .

Speaker 3 25:27

Get another crack at Yucaipa man .

Speaker 1 25:30

We got to have a desert team beat them , I mean . But Yucaipa is going to be kind of the key for us . Predicting DEL right now , right , I mean they're playing three DEL teams . I believe they play Palm Springs next Gives us a measuring stick Absolutely .

Speaker 2 25:43

So that might be a barometer that we can kind of us pundits can look at and say hey , you know something to look at .

Speaker 1 25:47

Yucaipa's got that potent offense , pundits got that potent defense .

Speaker 2 25:51

Which one's going to win . Right Defense won championships .

Speaker 1 25:55

That's it , man . I think that'll be a good game . I would say that's a pretty , that's a coin flip kind of game . It's like whatever's playing better makes the least amount of mistakes .

Speaker 2 26:05

It's going to be a physical game too .

Speaker 1 26:06

Right and Palm Desert coming off that pretty impressive win over Elsinore . They're going to have another test this week , so we're looking forward to that . Moving on the Quinta at Hesperia . This is a Coach Josh special . What do we know ?

Speaker 3 26:20

about this one . You know I don't know a whole lot about Hesperia this year , but in the past they've always been really good , good running game , fast kids . So it's a long trip , right , that's a long one .

Speaker 1 26:33

They're at Hesperia . That's a long , long trip , yeah .

Speaker 3 26:35

I've done it before , Not fun but I'm always going to favor La Quinta .

Speaker 1 26:41

You know that's where my heart's at .

Speaker 3 26:43

I did do some research on Hesperia another undefeated team there you go , another undefeated and they played some pretty tough teams they did up there , they played good football yeah .

Speaker 1 26:52

So it's not going to be a gimme for La Quinta . They're going to have to bring their big boy pants and get off the bus and actually execute to win this game . So another nice little test , but on the road I think LaQuinta has shown that they're pretty consistent though this year . They've been running the ball , big play , run game travels .

Speaker 2 27:08

Run game travels and defense travels .

Speaker 1 27:10

So I think LaQuinta should be able to get this one , but Hesperi's an undefeated team man , so you never know , right that's why we play .

Speaker 3 27:18

That's it man .

Speaker 1 27:19

That's why it's fun for us to cover the game here , moving on to the next one , coachella Valley at Palo Verde . So Palo Verde is another team that has been playing a bunch of our teams down here .

Speaker 3 27:30

They played last year and the year before .

Speaker 1 27:32

And Palo Verde is not no pushover man , no no , I think it's a double wing .

Speaker 3 27:38

They play , they get the two tight ends .

Speaker 1 27:39

They run the heck out of the ball .

Speaker 3 27:41

And you've got to put your hand in the dirt and it's a dog pile every play and they gave Shadow a nice little test .

Speaker 1 27:49

Shadow only beat them by two scores and it was a pretty close game .

Speaker 3 27:52

Good coach out there too .

Speaker 1 27:53

They've got a good coach . I mean they won a couple of CIS . They won a CIS championship recently , yeah , recently yeah , a few years ago .

Speaker 3 27:57

Yeah , they're , they won , they won state , so so another respect that another test .

Speaker 1 28:02

You know another test . But I think , uh , if they do , you know , if coachella valley gets that offense rolling , I think , uh , and traditionally it's been too much for palo verde , yeah , but you know , coachella valleys might be a little beat up . Right , they've lost a couple guys . They've played some pretty big schools , yeah they've lost about three , four . They've played some pretty big schools . That's what I've heard . Yeah , they've lost about three , four guys . A quarterback came back this week , but you know , high school is all about depth and health .

Speaker 3 28:27

It's part of the journey , it's part of the game .

Speaker 1 28:30

We'll see . Coach Elvira's got not an easy game on the road , so I think they should be the favorites . But you know , who knows , We'll see Another good game . Come Friday night . Moving on to Friday night , more Friday night games Western Christian at Indio . Western Christian is a small school , I believe , in the Ontario area .

Speaker 2 28:50

Yes .

Speaker 1 28:51

And they're up there Upland , upland area and I did some research on them . They're also undefeated . So Indio doesn't have an easy week four matchup as well . So Indio doesn't have an easy week four matchup as well . This team's been blowing teams out apparently . So it is a smaller school . So that should play into Indio's hands , at least on that level . But we'll see how it kind of goes . Indio's going to try and find some positive momentum and move forward .

Speaker 3 29:17

Let's go Indio , yeah , man .

Speaker 1 29:18

And Indio's a prideful program . They've been one of the . They were one of the best here for a long time in the valley before yeah , before all these other schools opened up . So we always root for indio . I think the rajas get on that winning streak and get this one and kind of prepare for league . So but they do have a . They do have a tough test on their hands . Uh . Moving on to cathedral city and xavier , that's another in-valley game . Cathedral City at Xavier Prep Cathedral City coming off , both teams coming off of losses . Xavier Prep that tough loss to Toronto in Cathedral City to Yucca .

Speaker 3 29:53

Another advantage to Xavier right .

Speaker 1 29:55

Xavier , I think with that top-line talent .

Speaker 2 29:58

Yeah , Xavier's loaded . Unless , Cat City has something that we haven't seen in the last couple weeks . That's a tough challenge . Something with their sleeve maybe .

Speaker 1 30:06

That's going to be a nice little challenge for Cat City . But at this point I think Cat City is looking to kind of get to that league schedule and just get healthy for league Xavier . I mean they got some guys . Xavier's going to be a little upset because of the last week's performance .

Speaker 2 30:21

Performance yes .

Speaker 1 30:21

Because they were in that game and they probably think they could have did a little couple things and won it . So they're going to be out to prove something this week . So watch out for Xavier Prep . I think they might light up the scoreboard a little bit on that one because they're just a little bit upset at how last week went

Coach's Strategy for Game Scheduling

Speaker 1 30:39

, but Cassidy'll be there to fight .

Speaker 2 30:40

Those kids are tough , they're tough kids .

Speaker 1 30:42

They're going to come with their A game and give everything they got , so Coach Lee will have them ready . Another game we're looking at is Yucca Valley at Chafee . So , coach , you saw Yucca Valley . They're going all the way to Pomona to play Chafee this week , another old-school traditional team right Runs the ball and plays defense . At least they used to .

Speaker 2 31:06

How are you thinking the Yucca Valley is going to fare ? I'm just super impressed with Yucca man . Yeah , they do a good job . They're O-line coaches , o-line D-line coaches , solid , very , very solid . So , barring any injuries or something like that , I think they should at least be in that game . And again , the run game travels .

Speaker 1 31:19

Right , absolutely .

Speaker 3 31:20

King Shout out to Kings Good running back for Yucca man .

Speaker 1 31:24

Yeah , they got a couple studs up there .

Speaker 2 31:25

That quarterback's pretty good for Yucca as well too . That quarterback is really good . That quarterback can sling it .

Speaker 1 31:28

Yeah .

Speaker 2 31:35

So I mean , they got some guys up in Yucca Right .

Speaker 1 31:37

So on the road . Always not an easy task , but they got a puncher's chance . Next we're looking at Rubidoux at 29 Palms . So this will be 29 Palms' third game playing a traditional Riverside team , rubidoux , going up there to the high desert . Rubidoux is , I think , 29 Palms , has probably circled this game and they're thinking that this might be . I don't know what Rubidoux is looking like , but looking at the rankings it should be a pretty good game . 29 Palms is looking to get on the winning side and you play 29 Palms .

Speaker 2 32:13

They've got some good guys out there . Right , they're solid . Their left tackle is strong . The center is good . They've got some good athletes . They're two inside linebackers 22 and 21 . Tough kids huh , tough can fly . Man can flat out go . Yeah , we had a hard time with our screen game trying to run wide . Those dudes can play , so I think it might be a good week for them to get on the win cycle .

Speaker 1 32:31

Yeah , for sure .

Speaker 3 32:34

And we're all rooting for that we want to see them run .

Speaker 1 32:36

I think you guys are on the right track . Desert Chapel at Nordhoff . I don't know too much about Nordhoff , but I know Desert Chapel's got a couple offensive weapons . Yes , I've seen them on film . You know Desert Chapel pretty well . Right , They've got some awesome talent on that team .

Speaker 2 32:51

That quarterback can throw it . He's big .

Speaker 1 32:53

And that receiver he's huge .

Speaker 2 32:58

Yeah , I think he scored two or three times against Devin Mirage . I saw him against . Devin Mirage .

Speaker 3 33:02

That was probably my scout , okay , so yeah , they can put points on the board , so it just depends on what defense shows up .

Speaker 2 33:06

They're running four receivers , four wide , yeah and let them sit back and slam Quarterbacks does a good job reading coverage , so you can't sit in the same coverage You've got to mix it up Ah okay is probably just all about depth and defense right , If they get a little bit of defensive play .

Speaker 1 33:20

They're going to be fine . Yeah , they're well coached out there . I know they're trying to kind of emulate what you guys are doing on that side of the valley , but you know we're pulling for them . They'll be on the road this week . And then , lastly , we've got a Saturday game Desert Mirage who Coach just saw against Temecula Prep . So , what are you foreseeing in that coach Temecula ?

Speaker 2 33:42

Prep got to buckle up Really . Oh yeah , they got to buckle up . Yeah , Devin Marais , don't let them fool you , man Like . I said it was 12-6 at halftime . What they run , they run and they run it . Well , you have to be able to stop the run and they can throw it . So yeah , we'll see . I'm always going to go with the desert .

Speaker 1 34:01

Yeah , yeah , I'm going with Diem . I'm going with Diem all day . They come prep . Diem's going to get that second win , yes . And then , lastly , coach , we got your game of the week Desert Christian Academy at San Jacinto Valley . Yes , sir , how are we shaping out on that ? What are you looking for this week in terms of that matchup ?

Speaker 2 34:17

Spread team , another athletic quarterback that can throw it , very similar to Riverside Prep . We have to be able to stay gap sound on the run game because they're not just a passing team but they do have a pretty advanced passing concept . So I literally was breaking it down before I got here . So again , we'll mix it up .

Speaker 3 34:34

We won't sit in the same front .

Speaker 2 34:35

We won't sit in the same . We won't sit in one high like we normally do . We'll mix up some two high . So , we should be okay . The name of our game is we can get out front and get that offense going . It makes calling defense a lot easier . Absolutely man . Two scores .

Speaker 1 34:49

I'm good as a defensive coordinator .

Speaker 3 34:50

There we go , there we go .

Speaker 1 34:51

I'm feeling comfortable now . Yeah , so that's the weekly preview of you for week four .

Speaker 2 34:57

I can't believe we're already in week four guys , Almost by week it's almost league coming up .

Speaker 1 35:02

It goes by fast , guys , it goes by fast . All you players out there realize how fast it goes by , because you only get 40 of these things in your career and then it's over , unless you're going to the next level .

Speaker 3 35:12

Fight forever , man .

Speaker 1 35:15

So that's going to do it for us this week .

Speaker 3 35:17

Coach , thanks for coming in man , you've been a blessing to come in .

Speaker 1 35:20

You're a rising star in this community . Thank you and we all we all are looking at DCA and looking at what you're doing and we're going to be supporting you in any way we can man .

Speaker 2 35:30

Thanks so much , you guys . Thanks for coming in , man .

Speaker 1 35:35

So if you guys and follow and we'll see you next time on desert valley blitz .