Desert Valley Blitz

Ep#14-Bold Calls, Rainy Nights, And Three Desert Teams One Win From The Finals

• CV Hustle Studios • Season 1 • Episode 14

Share episode

The valley got loud. A nail-biter in Palm Springs, a weather fight for Palm Desert, and a six-touchdown statement from Coachella Valley turned Week 13 into a showcase of late-season nerve and clean coaching. We felt the season tighten—the quieter practices, the colder air—and then watched three programs punch through with poise.

We start with Palm Springs vs Hart, a true playoff classic. Coach Brown’s defense sat patiently in a 30 with two high safeties, baiting Hart away from their favorite throws before flipping the switch into a heavy 50 and cover zero when the clock and field position mattered. Bishop Miller’s composure on a game-deciding two-point try, paired with Koa Rapoa’s two-way surge—running through tackles then jumping to the D-line to pressure the quarterback—captured the essence of November football: trust your leaders, pick your moment, and swing big.

Across town, Palm Desert rode out a chaotic second quarter at Patriot, then reset at halftime. Back to the 40 front. Back to sound coverage rules. Back to defensive ends setting the edge and squeezing lanes. With Josh Perez eating tough snaps at quarterback and AJ Rivera returning late like a closer from the bullpen, the Aztecs reasserted their identity and closed strong in the rain. Meanwhile, Shadow Hills ran into a Baldwin Park buzzsaw and the elements, while Yucca Valley’s trip to Grace Christian underscored how a physical ground game can shorten a night and tilt possession.

Then came Coachella Valley’s statement: Ivan Camargo rumbling for six touchdowns behind a line that moved bodies, while a disciplined defense kept Paris out of rhythm until late. Their semifinal with Grace (Simi Valley) feels like a mirror—power backs, quick receivers, and tempo that punishes hesitation. We outline keys for all three semifinals: Palm Springs at Barstow’s cold and wind, Palm Desert at Beckman’s size up front, and Coachella Valley’s home-field edge against a long bus ride.

If you’re new here, expect straight talk on schemes, players who change games, and why the best teams get bolder as the temperature drops. If you’re riding with us all season, you know the drill—three teams, three paths, one valley ready to make history. Enjoy the breakdown, then tell us who you’re backing this week. If you found value in the show, like, subscribe, and share a link with a fellow fan; your reviews help more listeners find Desert Valley Blitz.

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

SPEAKER_02:

Welcome back everybody to Desert Valley Blitz. We're in our week 13. Right lucky number 13 wrap up, coach. It's been a w wild ride.

SPEAKER_01:

It's winding down. You can kind of feel it. It's getting a little slow, a little lonely.

SPEAKER_02:

Not too many teams practicing. Not too many teams.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. It's but it's but the teams that are in there, man, I'm excited for it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so we got three elite programs still around. We're real excited that you know we have teams making runs this year.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, quite a few of them. Week 13, man. What a week of of CIF playoff football, huh?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So we start we'll start with the game we attended, which was a classic, and Coach Josh sure knows how to pick them because the last two we've been to have been really nail biters.

SPEAKER_01:

What a great game, huh?

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, that's what that's what uh high school football is all about, right? It was awesome. I mean, so we went out to Palm Springs Heart first round. And so what what did you kind of see in that first round? It was an instant classic, but how did how did it kind of start off for you?

SPEAKER_01:

Man, I it there's so much to go about. I mean, first of all, the community just you know, the the the school just kind of welcomed us in. It was nice. Uh that crowd was rowdy. Uh those rests were uh had their their work cut out for them. They made us a couple of you know questionable calls, yeah. It was good to just see the community fight for the kids like that. Um but I think the highlight for me uh just uh just watching Coach Brown like work. I mean, he had his hands full, man. That that offense from Hart was legit. They were beastly up front, man. Quarterback was big kid that can sling it. They had uh really good, nice receivers. That running back number four was nice, nice. Um Coach Brown had his hands full, man. But yeah, I just like that he stuck with his game plan. Uh he took away the passes. I mean, to get into it, he was running a 30 pretty much all night, two high safeties. And um and he just stuck with it, man. Because uh Hart can pass. I mean, the first touchdown they scored, it was a nice 40-50 yard bomb. I don't know if they scored on it, but they got it down there, right? Got it down there and then punched it in in the first half and the second half stayed with the game plan. And and Hart's like, all right, we're gonna run the ball. And and to run the ball they did, man. They they were running counter, they were running power. And um I think a less experienced DC might have stacked the box a little early, you know, but he just kept with it, kept with it. And um, it was a close game. And uh he waited for that right moment. And that right moment came when Bishop threw that pit going in, and all of a sudden Hart's got the ball, they're up by a touchdown, six minutes to go in the game. They're gonna run the ball, they gotta run the clock out, and he sends out the heavies, the 50 comes in, snaps into place, he goes cover zero, and uh man, it's just here's the moment, right? And first down they get one yard, second down they get two yards, third down, it's like another two yards, and all of a sudden they're putting. And now your offense has got the ball and and and got a chance to win it, and that they went down and scored and um immediately went for the two. We talked to Coach Gore, he had it ready to go and didn't even blink, didn't even blink, no timeouts.

SPEAKER_02:

Better man than me, man, though. Dude, it was awesome. Gore, man, yeah, to make that call to go for two, man. Yeah, they rolled great.

SPEAKER_01:

They rolled out the quarterback, Bishop, and um, they gave him a choice, you know. I I didn't see the concept. I was watching the ball. I can only watch one thing. I didn't watch any film, but I'd like to think they probably had some guy to the back of the pylon, another guy to the front pylon, maybe a guy in the uh uh center. I didn't see it, but whatever it was, Bishop didn't like it. He tucked the ball and scooted and we went north and south like a like a missile, man. He was just dived through that defense and got in. And um yeah, they they went they scored two. They're now they're winning a minute ago. Um and how about Koa, dude? They they they put him on the D line. Um, because they weren't, I mean they were running the 30, but they weren't really getting pressure that quarterback. That offensive line for Hart was doing a good job protecting that quarterback, and but they couldn't block Koa, man. They put him on the line, and all of a sudden he's getting pressure on the quarterback to to win the game, and it was just awesome. It was like a movie, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it was it was a classic, man. Uh, I it was almost like uh the the back and forth in basketball when you have two great players, right? Because it was Koa on the offensive side carrying the ball, yeah. And then you'd have that number four from Art Maddox, Frizz Smith, Fifth Smith, that guy would make plays, and it was like very good records. Those two guys were obviously the top talent on the field, and they're both Division I recruits for a reason. Um, but those guys were going back and forth, man. It was it was a good one.

SPEAKER_01:

Koa was tackling them a lot, dude. I saw him get up, you know, uh Frizz Smith get up a little slow a couple times, and it is it was a heavyweight battle back and forth.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and those two exchange blows on offense, and then Koa comes out and plays defense as well. I don't I don't think uh Ford played too much defense, but man, Koa, that guy, that guy was the best player on the field. Yeah, he he he was the best player on the offense and on defense. The difference was that Paul Springs had number nine. They had Bishop Miller, and and then and Hart didn't. So, you know, even though Bishop he made he made some mistakes down the stretch, he'll be the first probably to admit that he he kind of made some mistakes in the especially in the second half. We had a fumble exchange when they were going in. So they and then that pick right before he they scored the tying touchdown. Um, but that kid you cannot run.

SPEAKER_01:

He made some great plays too. Four they had a fourth, uh fourth and like seven conversion in that final drive, fourth down.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, to to Von Johnson. I think it was a dig or something, some type of crossing route. That's another underrated kid. I know, I know. He made a couple big plays on that drive. So, I mean, but but not what how impressive has number nine been all year. I mean, that guy, that guy has shown leadership. He wasn't rattled at all. Yeah, I mean, he was just confident, and that's what you need in a quarterback. If you're gonna make a special run uh at high school or in any level of football, you gotta have that quarterback that knows, hey, the guys look around in the huddle and go, hey, this guy's gonna lead us to a touchdown. And and Paul Springs has had that all year. That's why they've had a special season.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and it's just it was nice to be there in person. I got to see it from the top down from the head coach, the coordinators, even to the position coaches. Man, they get those boys ready. Uh, the kids were executing, and it's no secret why they've had such success this year, man.

SPEAKER_02:

It was it was awesome. Yeah, and a special season, magical season continues. Well, uh, they'll be on the road this week. But, you know, we have to talk about you know, Coach Gore's decision. I mean, the two playoff games we've been at, have the the coaching staffs have had to make pretty bold decisions and adjustments to win the game. So, I mean, that's kind of the takeaway I'm seeing with the playoff football is you know, as a coach, you also have to change your mentality too, and you have to be a little bit more bold, and you know, that the boldness gets rewarded in that situation. I mean, Coach Gore said he made that decision. We talked to him after, he made the decision to go for two two drives before they got down. So that was already predetermined by the time they got down.

SPEAKER_01:

It looked like that because they didn't blink and they were ready to go, they were ready for it. And it, you know, a lot of I've seen a lot of coaches that you know they get that deer in the headline. I don't go time out.

SPEAKER_02:

That would be me. I'd be I'd be uh I need to think this over. Yeah, but they had there was no hesitation, they didn't call a timeout, they ran the offense back on the field, and man, what a what a man, what a call, man. I mean, call of the year, man. I just in that situation, your season's on the line, playoffs. He's like, I'm putting it in number nine's hands, and he's gonna go win the game. And that's what he did. So shout out to Palm Springs, man. What a magical game, what a magical run they're on. We're excited. Uh Koa Rapoa is probably the best player in that division. We need to start putting the word out there to CIF. That guy's your MVP of that division as of right now. That guy was everywhere. He did offense, he was the best player on defense. Um, Bishop Miller's probably the best leader on the football team and uh in that division as well. So I'm I'm really excited. Hopefully, hopefully everybody stays healthy. Yeah, and if they're still healthy, I mean there's the sky's the limit for this team, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, they got Barstow this coming up week. I know we'll talk about that a little bit later, but um, it's it's it's a winnable game. Um, I think Hart was super impressive, man. Hart was a tough team, man.

SPEAKER_02:

Up front, up front, they had some big were those guys. Oh man, they looked like a division one offensive line.

SPEAKER_01:

And they blocked like one, and they were they were run blocking and pass blocking. I I think a couple times Hart's quarterback dropped back, and uh they had like five, six seconds to tow the ball untouched, you know. And you're like, I know they were only rushing three, but that's still a long time.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, he was he had all day back there.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, those DBs had they were they were earning their key back there. Yeah, they were they were covering guys. So um, what a great football game. I really enjoyed it. It was it was fun, man. So thanks, Palm Strings, having us, man. That we'll hopefully we can do that again.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that was awesome, and hey, shout out to the Indians, man. The magical ride continues. Yeah, we're we're gonna be there for every step. Hopefully, hopefully we get to the finals. We want to cover a finals game, but we'll not we'll not talk about that in the game.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, one week at a time.

SPEAKER_02:

Gotta get through Barstow. It's gonna be a tough one. Barstow's gonna be good. Barstow's a good football team. We'll talk about that in the next segment. But hey, shout out to Palm Springs. That was a great job. Great, great game. It was what we why we do this. Um, and we we're looking forward to covering you guys for another week. So um moving on to the next set of playoff games here. Palm Desert, man, Palm Desert Aztecs go into Patriot. It's a good football team. They they were 10 and 1, so not a slouch. Uh Palm Desert Finals score 46, Patriot 33. Yeah. So you got to watch a little of this game. A little bit.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh I sometimes I catch the games on the NFHS app, and um for whatever reason they had the first two quarters, like they weren't it weren't they weren't available. Like I started the game and um like two minutes left in the second quarter. Okay. Um, I did, but it looked like for some I don't know why, but uh they were playing a 50. I've never seen Palm Desert play a 50. Uh, you get the game. They were in a 50, and um, I think they were having a little bit of coverage issues on the back end. Um Palm Desert is an even football team, man. They they play a 40.

SPEAKER_02:

They play a 40 all year, right?

SPEAKER_01:

That's what they like. And um, they did go back to that the second half, the second uh third quarter, they come out in a 40 and they started stopping them pretty easily. And uh now you got the coverage that you've worked on all year, and uh they looked a lot more covered. Guys are more comfortable, right? Yeah, and their DNs are so good, man.

SPEAKER_02:

I just let them go.

SPEAKER_01:

Your D end out there, go go put on some Palm Desert tape, man. Those DNs just play so well. And um, they they bottled them up and um offense did their thing. It looked like quarterback um what the this I know AJ got hurt.

SPEAKER_02:

Josh Perez filled so AJ Rivera was dinged up all week. We kind of knew that going in, and he um he did not practice. He he was basically the emergency quarterback. Um he was kind of on the shelf. Josh Perez uh came in.

SPEAKER_01:

Josh Perez came in, he did his thing. He's a big big kid, dude. He did a good job, man. Ran the ball well. You know, the the timing of the passing was and that's that's like um AJ's superpower, man. He's his timing on his passing game is so impeccable. So the timing was a little off, but um, he still was able to move the ball against a playoff team. Um so I I can see the future being bright for him.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, he looked good. And he led them to a so early on, it was a 17-0 lead for Palm Desert going into the second quarter. So Perez was not missing the beat. Um, I know Trey Bolden had a touchdown. They had uh our guy, uh Tolin had a great touchdown. Tolin, two touchdowns.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

That guy's that guy's he's good, man. And that guy's an MVP candidate as well. So Jonah Tolin was doing his thing. But then in the second half, like you spoke to, the the the running game for Patriot got going. And then they have two backs that are pretty good, and they stayed in that 50. And so in the second quarter, yeah, they had an explosion of points. Explosion of points. 27 27 points in that like second quarter.

SPEAKER_01:

They were they looked like they ran some switch routes and they got some guys open and they they hit some passes downfield, too. From what I saw, um, I didn't see the it was already like 27 to 17 or something when I turned it on.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that was the that was 27 unanswered in the second quarter. So yeah, Palm Desert looked very unpalm desert like on defense in that second quarter, giving up some big plays. Um, so like you said, I think they made the adjustment at halftime. Hey, let's go back to what what we what we're doing. But they still were that behind. Patriots scored again. It was uh 33-27, I believe, when they brought AJ Rivera off the bench to kind of close out the deal. He's like he was like the closing pitcher, you know, coming out of the bullpen, and they rolled him out there in the fourth quarter to the first time.

SPEAKER_01:

Another movie-esque moment, right?

SPEAKER_02:

And he found Jonah Tolen uh just like they've done all year, marched down and scored and took the lead in the fourth quarter. So there's you know, AJ Rivera's you know moment to you know kind of come back and save the day. And then uh they get the they Palm Desert does what they usually do and get they stop the run and then they go down and get an insurance touchdown. That's all she wrote. Palm Desert's onto the semifinals.

SPEAKER_01:

Keep rolling.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so some great adjustments by the coaches.

SPEAKER_01:

They kind of they kind of everyone pitched in, especially the quarterback being down. Everybody's got more load to carry, and they they answered.

SPEAKER_02:

So yeah, it was a team effort. I know uh Jackson Bishop had a safety. Um, you know, the receivers, uh a lot of fumbles. It was rainy. Six six turns, six fumbles on the ground, which you kind of expect because it was we were playing in a monsoon. Anybody that played this weekend knows. It was coming down. California boys, we ain't used to that rain, man. We don't we don't see it like once or twice a year.

SPEAKER_01:

So rest of the country plays in that all the time.

SPEAKER_02:

They're used to it. We are not, so it was quite a quite an episode on all levels of football this year or this weekend. But um Palm Desert Advances, man. Shout out to the Aztecs. They keep going, man. They were the hottest team at the end of the year, um, and they're continuing that hot streak.

SPEAKER_01:

And even with the you know, the injury at quarterback, they still roll in a good football team.

SPEAKER_02:

So the and the good thing is the backup got some reps, so he's gonna be a lot more comfortable if he has to go. So Perez will be ready for the next round. They're gonna have to go on the road. I got another tough task coming up. But hey, on those two teams from the DEL in the semifinals, man.

SPEAKER_01:

That's the year's the year, man. We're one of us is making it, one of these three teams.

SPEAKER_02:

Pretty impressive. Yeah. At this point last year, all of our teams were out. So just to tell you how far we've come, we have three teams still around, which is so so good for the kids. And good for valley football. You know, it's just uh good for the community. So everybody in the football community, we should be proud of our teams going this far.

SPEAKER_01:

We play good ball here.

SPEAKER_02:

Absolutely. So good job, Aztecs. We'll talk about your next matchup in the in the next segment. Um, but uh obviously we were pulling for for Coach 40 and the Aztecs to get to that final. We want to have a dual final week. That'd be that'd be awesome. That would be awesome. We won't jinx it. Yeah, don't jinx it, coach. Moving on to division eleven. So this was a shocker to me. This this score was kind of it's surprising. Baldwin Park 48, Shadow Hills 10. So Shadow Hills goes, gets that tough road draw. They they have an impressive victory that first week, and we're thinking, hey, Shadow Hills is starting to roll, man. We we they're in division eleven, and it looks like they ran into a buzzsaw called Baldwin Park.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I don't remember them scoring so few points in a while. They usually put up um some points every game. Um sometimes it's a boat race, but they're putting up points on offense for them to put up 10. I'd be interested in to see the film, see what happened. I, you know, maybe it was raining. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, they had Baldwin Park had some guys, man. I've seen I didn't there wasn't a ton I could find online specifically about the game, but what I did find is Baldwin Park had some athletes and had some guys that that Shadow Hills had a hard time covering. They had a freshman running back um that scored three touchdowns, fresh, true freshman, 14 years old. So probably probably one of those guys that will be playing on Saturday. Yeah. He had three touchdowns, they had a tough time stopping him, and then they had some big plays over the top. So Baldwin Park uh got up 21-3 um in the second quarter. They they kind of boat raced him, and they were playing in the rain as well, so that probably affected the pass game. The pass game. You know, Shadow likes to pass and they're on the road, it's a little bit tougher. Um, Shadow Hills did at 21-3 did score uh before the half to make it 10-21, but then the second half was all all Baldwin Park. Um Shadow Hills kind of, you know, getting on that bus and go. I'm sure if the game was played here at home, we may have a different outcome. But getting on that bus, you know, the conditions, it just wasn't Shadow Hills Knights. So the the Knights are gonna end their season uh this week.

SPEAKER_01:

What a good season, though. But a great season. They had some struggles, you know, with the suspension and then the come through and and finish as a team and and and get this far in the playoffs. Uh that's a good job.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, quarterfinals CIF is not an easy task. I don't care what division you're in. So you've got to be a good football team to be playing this time of year. So Shadow Hills, another impressive year. They got a lot of young talent coming back. Yeah. Shadow Hills is not real heavy on the seniors like they were last year. Most of their guys, most of their skill guys are coming back. So, I mean, they're they're prone for another run. I know they've got some good kids coming into the program as well. So, Shadow Hills will be back. They got, you know, they got some of the night. They got one of the nicest stadiums. Yeah, they got one of the nicest stadiums here in the valley. Yeah, they do. And they're gonna be back uh next year. So shout out to the knights. They had a great season, all the seniors. We love, we enjoyed covering you guys. It was fun. It was it was a great time. Um, and next year we'll be back at it with the rest of you guys coming back. So, Coach Palmer, great job getting them this far. You know, you guys overcame those suspensions and still had a great season. So, shout out to the knights. We're gonna say goodbye to the knights for now, but we'll we'll see them next year. Yeah, moving on to division 12. This is our desert division. Uh, started with four, down to two, um, and now we're gonna be down to one because Grace Christian 41, Yucca Valley 28. So another tough draw. Yucca Valley, the number one seed, gets a tough road trip up to Simi Valley. Grace uh is uh up and coming program. Doing some research on that program. They've got some they're a small school, but they got some accolades. They've been to the state, the state uh championship games a couple times for the small schools. They've won, they've won a bunch of league titles 10 times in a row being in the CIF, CIF uh playoffs. It's a good program. I hadn't heard much about it um until I had to do some research for this game. Good football team. They have a back that's pretty good. Uh Williams, who ran for 250 yards and three touchdowns. That looks like it was the difference um in the game. Not a ton of information, not a ton of film out there to watch on this game, but I did see Aiden Pope did have a return for a touchdown. He did his thing. Um Yucca Not surprising. Yeah, Yucca did some, did some they did their offensive thing, but they just kind of fell behind and looks like they couldn't stop the run. It was it was kind of maybe it was kind of a similar situation to the Coachelli game where the run game kind of kept their offense off the field.

SPEAKER_01:

So ball gets slippery, man. You gotta adjust.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and you're on the road, and it was raining. I saw the highlights, they were in the rain, um, just like everybody else this week. So that's not really an excuse, but Yucca kind of ran into the the the road woes, man, and and probably it might have been different had it been up at their place.

SPEAKER_01:

But run game travels.

SPEAKER_02:

Run game is, yeah, and they've they've had at times the run game has kind of got them if they've come up against a team that could run the ball pretty well. We saw that in the Coachella game this year, and that that seems to have been the case this year. So Grace, we'll be talking a little bit more about them because they're gonna be coming to the valley. Yeah, coming to the valley for uh for a big uh semifinal game this year. That's a good game coming up. Yeah, so we'll be talking a little bit more about Grace coming up. But Yucca Valley, great season.

SPEAKER_01:

Um fantastic season.

SPEAKER_02:

Those guys out there are building a real good program.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, they always get this far in the playoffs about the second round.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, they're just consistent. I they're one of the most consistent programs out here in the valley. They're just always they're always gonna be well coached. They always got some guys on offense, right? Yeah, they put up a lot of points. Aiden Pope is a star. Yeah, and I think we can all we can all see him play on person.

SPEAKER_01:

It's undeniable, man.

SPEAKER_02:

He's that guy is gonna be around next year, people. So, you know, if you get a chance to watch him play, go out and check him out because he's he's a he's a star in the making, man. He's a he's and he's a good kid, too. We talked to him, he's a real good kid. Um, but you know, shout out to the Trojans, man. What a great year. We loved covering you guys.

SPEAKER_01:

Another great year, by the way, man.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, every year they're always in the playoffs, they always win a couple games in the playoffs. So good coaching staff. Great program. Up up and coming. I don't even can't even be an up-and-coming program because they've been around so long. So just a consistent, good football program. We love covering the Trojans. Um, we'll definitely be covering you guys, seeing you guys next year. Looking forward to you guys. You guys got some star power coming back. So we'll be looking forward to seeing you guys next year. Good job. Then moving on to the last game on the slate division 12. This is our desert division. Now, then there was one team left in the division. Coachella Valley 49, Paris 14. So Coachella Valley goes out on the road, and that's another that's kind of a surprising score to me. I don't know much about Paris, but I know it was 42 to 7 at the half.

SPEAKER_01:

So well, the thing about uh Coachella Valley is everyone thinks about the passing game, but we've seen it firsthand, man. They can run the ball.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, especially when you got Ivan Camargo right there, right?

SPEAKER_01:

And that old line Honda does a good job with those offensive uh linemen, and and they can block really well. So it sounds like they had that that run game humming.

SPEAKER_02:

They did to the tune of Ivan Camargo six touchdowns, coach, in one game. That's an amazing stat, right? He's trying, he's trying to do it, he's trying to you know beat Pope in the single game touchdown record. Uh that's got to be some kind of record. Six touchdowns.

SPEAKER_01:

In a playoff game, that's impressive.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, that kid's got to be in the contention for all for MVP of that division. And this first game that he did, Camargo is number nine in the state of California in rushing yards this year. That's impressive. I mean, and and he's only a junior, so impressive kid. We we talked to that kid. He's he's a he's a good kid. He's strong, he's fast, good digit. He's a big back too. So he he's not he's not just running away from people. He's also another good football player.

SPEAKER_01:

I know.

SPEAKER_02:

Another another great football player here in the valley. So that guy's putting his stamp on the that division, division twelve. Um, he did the same thing against Banning. So I think he's putting his name out there to be the MVP of that division, should they win it. 100%. What an impressive performance. Coach Johnson had him ready, man. Yeah. 42-7 at the half.

SPEAKER_01:

Sounds like the defense did great too, man. They studied up.

SPEAKER_02:

Paris didn't even score an offensive touchdown until the fourth quarter. Defense was ready. Defense. Defense was ready. Coachella's getting hot at the right time. They won six in a row.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So they got a good staff out there, man. They're they're prepared.

SPEAKER_02:

They're playing their best football at the right time. So we're we're looking forward to seeing a semifinal game in the valley next week. They're gonna they're gonna be out at Coachella. So let's go, man. Let's get we got three teams still around. Let's get these three teams to the final three teams in the finals. That's not that's never happened before. We haven't had two teams in the finals, except for maybe when I think two teams played each other in the finals back in the day. So the possibility of three teams in the finals is exciting, right? Yeah, three teams.

SPEAKER_01:

It could happen. This is the year.

SPEAKER_02:

This is the year. So we're real excited. We're rooting for all three of our teams. We're gonna kind of preview the teams that they're gonna be playing. It's not gonna be an easy task, but they're beatable. They're definitely they're definitely winnable games for our team. So we're gonna kind of preview that in the next section, right 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. Tired of payroll headaches? 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. iPay Solutions, local, reliable, and built for your success.

SPEAKER_01:

Got dirty carpets, tile, or furniture? Trust the carpet and tile care company, your family run experts. We bring Sparkle back to your home with top-notch cleaning services, reliable, affordable, and eco-friendly. Call us today. We can be reached at carpetcare.co. Phone number 760-773-5882.

SPEAKER_02:

Welcome back, everybody, to Desert Valley Blitz. This is gonna be our week 14 CIF semifinal preview, Coach. Let's keep it going. Hey, we got three teams still alive. Last year at this point, we were all we were all done. So this is a this is an exciting time. Our our desert val our desert teams are really shown out this year. We're proud of all three teams that are still remaining. Um, so we're gonna go roll right into it. Coach Josh, what is your matchup of the week here?

SPEAKER_01:

It's gotta be Palm Springs Barstow. And that's I when I coached a long time ago, we won the uh CIF championship. It was against Barstow. So I I like knocking those guys off. So I'm going with Palm Springs Barstow.

SPEAKER_02:

Palm Springs, Barstow, huh? Up in up in the high desert.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I think yeah, Barstow's a good team, man. They always they're it seems like they they live in the playoffs, they're always um semis. It seems like they always go deep. They got great athletes. Um I I got to see a little bit of film. Their quarterback looks big, tall, athletic guy. He could slang in a little bit. Um, he looks like a runner, too, so you got to contain him. Uh, it's gonna be a good matchup, man.

SPEAKER_02:

It'd be a great matchup. Barstow's an eight and three football team. Um, they're uh won their league, they're four and oh in their league, and last week they beat La Cenata, which was a 10-2 team, to get to this point. So it's not gonna be an easy task.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, and it the they lost their first three games. So I don't know what kind of switch up they made. Maybe they had a transfer, had to wait the first three games. I don't know what happened, but they lost three in a row, and then they've been undefeated since. So whatever the and they they started scoring a lot of points in a hurry. So I don't know. I haven't been following them. I don't know what transpired, but something happened week four because they started to put it together. And um, yeah, here they are.

SPEAKER_02:

Here they are. They look like they've won uh about six in a row right now. Um actually eight in a row. Yeah. Eight in a row. So it's a they're another hot team coming into the playoffs. Um, it's gonna be a tough matchup for Palm Springs, you know. Yeah, anytime you go on the road in a semifinal and then you're going up to the high desert, which uh we've had experience with as players and coaches, it's cold up there this time.

SPEAKER_01:

It's cold. Yeah, it could be windy. Yeah, you're dealing with some elements now. All of a sudden that ball's kind of hard to catch, you know, but uh just because it's like rock hard if it gets too cold. But uh hopefully it's not too cold.

SPEAKER_02:

So I think um Palm Springs has just shown, man, just the the ability to win those close games, you know. That goes a long way this time of year.

SPEAKER_01:

I think they're a little bit more polished of a team. I I watched a little bit of Barstone, not too much, so I can't really tell a lot, but they looked um super athletic, super fast. Uh I I would say though that Palm Springs looks a little bit more polished as a team. Um they just beat a good team. Heart, that heart team was legit. So um I'm I'm you know, I'm I'm always going for Palm Springs. So I would like to think they had the advantage, but they do have to travel on the road.

SPEAKER_02:

So and you gotta go up there and win it, you know. They gotta go up there and prove it, which they've done all year. Like I said, outside of one half, this Palm Springs team's been pretty perfect.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, that that second half of uh the heart game, you know, they just showed that they got they got they got that magic, man. And number nine's a big part of that magic. Cole Rapot running the ball, he's gonna be part of it. I mean, but it's a team effort, and you know, the coaches they're gonna have them ready. Yeah, Coach Gore will have them ready. I mean, Coach Brown will have them ready. Big uh you know, Palm Springs always you you get the top line athletes and the athletes get all the headlines, but one underrated aspect of Palm Springs this year to me has been their coaching staff. Yeah, those guys, those guys have been great. Yeah, position coach and his offensive play calling, Coach Brown and his defensive game plans.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean you can see why they're they're having so much success.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so and I think you know, just from that perspective, they're gonna they're gonna be ready to go. Yeah, the game plans will be clean and crisp.

SPEAKER_01:

It gets hard in this part of the season because it's a long season, man. These kids have been locked in since spring. Um so you gotta you know find a way to keep those kids entertained and and keep their mind on right. And I I know that staff's gonna do that. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So we're pulling for your tribe. Let's go try. Let's get to that final, man. We want to cover a game in Palm Springs for the final. That was fun. Because I think uh if you win, you're you're gonna you got a good chance of having a home final, which is a dream come true.

SPEAKER_01:

It depends on the other game, right? I think they said, Yeah, it's always pony flicks at this time.

SPEAKER_02:

But yeah, but uh they got a good chance. So, but let's not jinx it get ahead of ourselves. They gotta take care of the the other Aztecs, the Barso Aztecs, this time, which is not gonna be no easy task on the road. It's gonna be cold.

SPEAKER_01:

Cold.

SPEAKER_02:

But um, Palm Springs, man. Let's let's get this done. Let's get to the final. And uh we want to come out and see a final here in Palm Springs Stadium. So we'll be rooting for you. Let's go tribe. Um, on to the second semifinal game. Palm Desert, man. They they've been the hottest team down the stretch. They got a little bit of a tough draw. They got to go out to uh uh uh Beckman, which is out in Orange County. Um they are far they're pretty far driver. Tuston, which is you know Irvine? You can get in there, that's like Irvine area, yeah, like a little bit um by Anaheim. Yeah, a lot of little schools over there. Beckman Patriots, they're nine and three overall, five and oh in their league. They've uh they've had a good season. Um they're coming off a win over Fullerton, 30 to 13.

SPEAKER_01:

Which was the team that beat Laquinta?

SPEAKER_02:

Which was the team that that beat knocked Lakinta out of the playoffs. So uh it's not gonna be an easy task. Um, but Palm Desert also kind of seems to have found their footing, their little bit of magic. AJ Rivera's health is always gonna be an X factor. Um, but I think you know, with that def defense travels, you know. Yeah. And that's been their strength. Defense, you know, had one bad quarter again. Probably they were just cold and in the rain. I think that's probably what happened. You know, they kind of got a little bit uh wet and started stopped tackling the running backs there for a quarter. But uh since that one second quarter in uh that that that last week's game, they locked them up. The defense has been back to playing defense. So looking at Beckman, they're they're a pretty big football team, but I think they are also a running team.

SPEAKER_01:

So that may I mean they've shown they can stop the run.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so that may play into their hands. We're we're we're excited. I think this is another it's a tough one you got to go on the road.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

But it's not not a horrible draw for um Palm Desert in terms of the yeah. Defense wins championship.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. They their defense was legit, so I'm sure they'll I'd like to give them the edge in this matchup too.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so they're it's not gonna be an easy task. 93 overall. Anytime you go over the hill, you're gonna be dealing with some guys that may be bigger than you up front. We saw that with uh Palm Springs Heart. Did we? Geez, those old linemen were crazy big. Yeah, they look like a D1 offensive line at Hart's. And I think Beckman's gonna be similar. Just looking at film on them. Okay, they're big up front. Pretty big. They're big up front on the offensive side. Um, but so is Palm Desert.

SPEAKER_01:

I was just like in my head, I'm like looking at their D-line. The Palm Des is pretty big up front, too.

SPEAKER_02:

So they're there and they're at and Palm Desert's athletic up front. They got they got some pretty good athletes up there, so it should be a good matchup. Um, but we're expecting the the Aztecs to come home and also setting up a possibility for another final home game here.

SPEAKER_01:

Let's go, let's go.

SPEAKER_02:

Two in the valley, I don't think ever has happened, so we're not even gonna jinx it and talk about it. But one game at a time. Dream scenario, right? So Palm Palm Desert gotta go out on the road, be Road Warriors again.

SPEAKER_01:

Winnable game.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh Jonah Tolin's gonna put on another show, hopefully, for everybody and let Orange County know you know what we do out here.

SPEAKER_01:

Obviously, AJ Rivera's icing right now.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, get in that ice tub, AJ. But uh Josh Perez did a good job.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_02:

Even if he has to roll with, you know, they're gonna roll with the young cat, he's gonna he's gonna do a good job. He's got some playoff experience now, which I'm sure Coach Forty's gonna love come next year. You know, some more practice reps at the first team. Absolutely. So, you know, Palm Desert set up to set up to have a have a chance here. 100%. We're excited. Um, you know, we've been on that Aztec bandwagon since the middle of the year, since you know, since that auction started clicking. They started clicking. It was it was trouble for everybody else. So let's go, Aztecs. Let's get to that semif, let's get to that final, man. That that'd be awesome. So we'll be rooting for you. Lastly, the play semifinal that'll be played here in the desert.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, Coachella Valley's taking on a team called Grace out of Simi Valley.

SPEAKER_01:

We we watched it.

SPEAKER_02:

We just watched a little bit of film on them. They they look like uh they look kind of similar to Yucca a little bit, right? They're not the biggest team.

SPEAKER_01:

A lot of formations spread, though. They they they like to to throw it, but they do have a good running back. Well coached. Well coached, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Well coached. They look like they're offensively, they're well coached. They've got a running back who is uh Jake Williams, who's averaging about 150 yards. And we watched a film on him. He looks a little bit like Ivan Camaro, right? He's a big, strong dude, saw a stiff arm a couple guys. He's running people over. I mean, so that's gonna be that might be a problem for for uh Coachella in terms of trying to stop that. They had a receiver that was pretty looked like a big play play guy as well.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that I saw a receiver screen to him, and he he he was running and he put the brakes on and then started going again. I was like, ooh, okay. Yeah. So anytime a kid can do that, you know, you can't coach that. That's just that's just pure athleticism. They can either do that or they can't. So they're gonna have their hands full. Um they they look like they match up really well, they're almost like um mirrored teams of each other.

SPEAKER_02:

They they kind of do look similar. Um, so they are nine and three team. They're five and oh in league, and they've also won eight in a row. Yeah. So they lost a couple early on, and then they look like they've kind of started rolling.

SPEAKER_01:

Stuff starts to click, and all of a sudden, here we go.

SPEAKER_02:

But they gotta take into the uh account, too, that they're coming from Simi Valley, which Hart just did. Yeah, that's a long bus ride, man. That's a long, yeah, that's a long day. And then they're not even going to Palm Springs, they gotta go to the east side, which is adds another 30 minutes to your drive on at least, maybe 45 minutes. So that's a long, that's a long bus ride. So you gotta that advantage Coachella. Advantage Coachella totally on that. Um, Coach Johnson will have these guys ready. Coach Escavel to DC will have a lot of coaches over there.

SPEAKER_01:

Great.

SPEAKER_02:

So yeah, so we're we're expecting the Arabs to to put on a show. They've been, you know, Ivan Camargo's been the best player in that division, probably from top to bottom.

SPEAKER_01:

Six touchdowns.

SPEAKER_02:

So, I mean, he's coming off. He's gonna have to score seven to beat it. Yeah, I mean, but they're gonna have to put up points, I think, against this team because this team looks like they can score. They kind of remind me of Yucca Valley just watching them off. So they got a couple guys that can really hurt you.

SPEAKER_01:

They run their offense very well.

SPEAKER_02:

Maybe the defense is the weakness.

SPEAKER_01:

Maybe, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Looking at some of their scores, they give up some points. So why is Coachella always playing the the sh the offensive, you know, juggernauts? Yeah, they're it's like they are every they always match up with people that could score. They never I've never seen I haven't seen Coachella match up with a defensive team yet.

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah. Well, the good thing is Coachella's defense is showing up, man. They're playing very well. In a playoff game, that's impressive.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So maybe Coachella's peaking at the right time defensively.

SPEAKER_01:

Other team could get to the finals, man. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_02:

Three. Three desert teams still alive. So we're super excited. Let's go, Arabs. Let's get let's get to that division 12 championship game. You know, you guys are the hottest team in that division. The two Ivans are are doing their thing back there. Let's just go. Let's go, man. Let's do this and let's let's get three teams to the finals. I think we can do it. That'll be that'll be a record if we can get three teams into the finals of the CIF, just validating everything that we've been talking about here all year. We can play here too. So we're super excited. Uh we're getting to the end almost here, Coach. Oh, we got plenty to go, man. Yeah, yeah. Let's let's let's uh all you guys need to win, so we got something to talk about for the next two weeks. But it's been super excited. We're glad you guys are taking this journey with us. It's been fun um it's been a it's been a great ride. We hope it continues one more week. Let's go. Let's do this. So if you guys found some value in this, you guys know the routine. Like, subscribe, and follow here us at Desert Valley Blitz, and we'll see you next week.