Bell Game: Coachella Valley holds off Indio to secure 31-21 victory, take lead in series
Coachella Valley and Indio high schools each entered this year’s Bell Game with 30 wins in the rivalry series. The two teams had also tied three times in the annual gridiron game that was first played in 1960.
Until Coachella Valley’s 31-21 win on Friday, the Arabs had not had the most wins in the series since 1984. But to take the lead in the series, which is now 31-30-3 in favor of the Arabs, they needed to hold off a furious comeback attempt by the Rajahs that nearly spoiled their season.
The Arabs took a 31-0 lead in the third quarter, only to have that lead dissolved to 31-7, 31-14 and eventually 31-21.
The Rajahs nearly brought the score to 31-28, but Arabs' defensive back J.P. Marquez intercepted a pass on the goal line with 1:01 remaining to seal the win for Coachella Valley.
It was a game worthy of its history.
“It was so appropriate,” Arabs head coach Bill Johnson said. “A team that had the lead (in the series) for decades was not trying to give it up. They fought hard.”
With the win, Coachella Valley (8-1) finishes second in the Desert Valley League, behind Yucca Valley. The Arabs will play next in the CIF playoffs. Pairings will be made public at 10 a.m. Sunday.
The loss means Indio (4-6) finishes tied for third in the league and their season will come to an end without a postseason berth. The Rajahs finished tied for third with Desert Hot Springs in the league standings, but the Golden Eagles’ win over the Rajahs earlier this season means that Desert Hot Springs, not Indio, will secure the league’s third automatic playoff berth.
The moment
Coachella Valley looked dominant in the first half Friday. The Mighty Arabs scored on their first three drives and forced a turnover on Indio’s first drive, then prevented the Rajahs from recording a first down on their next two drives.
Arabs quarterback Derek Calderon threw 219 of his 306 yards in the first half, connecting on touchdown passes to Ernesto Recio and Mikey Rodriguez.
But even after Calderon connected with star running back Aaron Ramirez on a 65-yard touchdown strike early in the third quarter, which gave the Arabs a 31-0 lead, the Rajahs didn’t think the game was over.
“We were just like, ‘Let’s just go out and play, and not worry about the score,’” said Indio senior Jeremiah Cuahuey, who used to play for the Arabs. “This was the last game, so we had to give it everything we had.”
Indio scored its first touchdown on a play that wasn’t designed. Quarterback Elijah Gutierrez connected on a pass to running back Abraham Acuna, who surged up the field before pitching the ball to teammate Michael Silva, who finished the 65-yard touchdown run.
The Rajahs then recovered an onside kick and scored again in less than two minutes.
Into the fourth quarter, Indio linebacker Cristhian Orozco returned a fumble 31 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 10 points.
But just as it appeared that Indio would take another giant step toward an improbable comeback, Marquez jumped in front of an Indio receiver for the interception that ended up being the biggest play of the game.
"This game was good for us," Rodriguez said. "Because the games from here on will not be easy and we needed to come out here and compete to win this one."
The stars
In addition to his 306 passing yards, Calderon finished with three touchdowns passes and no interceptions. He completed 13 of his 23 passes.
Ramirez was held to 61 rushing yards on 14 carries, but his 65-yard touchdown catch was spectacular. He was drilled by an Indio defender in the air as he caught it, but Ramirez somehow held onto the ball and raced more than 50 yards to the end zone.
Rodriguez may have had the biggest night of all. He caught seven passes for 165 yards and nearly returned two punts for scores.
For Indio, Gutierrez threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns before exiting the game with an injury. Silva caught five passes for 108 yards and a touchdown.
The takeaway
Coachella Valley committed 12 penalties in the game, and while some were questionable there’s also no denying that the Arabs need to clean up some mistakes if they want to make a playoff run.
The good news is that the passing game is really coming to life and that is taking the focus off of Ramirez. Once a team takes its focus off him, he’ll carve them up for one big play after another.
For Indio, the takeaway here is that this team is entering the offseason with some momentum. Some key players will graduate this spring, but there’s a core group of players who will return, led by Silva and Acuna, who should help the Rajahs compete for a playoff berth again next season.
Andrew John covers sports in the Coachella Valley for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Bell Game: Coachella Valley tops Indio, 31-21, to take lead in series
