CIF football: Second round game previews, predictions for all four Coachella Valley teams

It's the second week of the CIF Southern Section football playoffs and four teams from the Coachella Valley remain. Just one local team reached the second round last year.

But there's good reason to believe that this won't be the last week of the high school football season in the valley. It appears that multiple teams could make it to the semifinal round next week.

Yucca Valley and Xavier Prep play at home this week, while Coachella Valley and Desert Hot Springs will be on the road.

Our football reporters are here to take you inside Friday’s matchups and offer their take on which teams will advance.

Buena Park (6-5) at Yucca Valley (8-3)

What: Division 12, second-round playoff game (Friday, 7 p.m.)

Know the foe: Buena Park is an at-large team and the fourth-place team in the Freeway League. The Coyotes beat Arroyo Valley 62-30 in the first round, but had lost four of five games prior to last week.

Buena Park averaged 31.8 points per game this season and allowed 23 points per game. Two of their five losses came against teams that Cal Preps rates lower than Yucca Valley.

Common opponents (0): None. But Buena Park lost 42-13 to Sonora, the team that narrowly beat Rancho Mirage last week. So, comparing Buena Park to the Rattlers offers a suggestion as to how Yucca Valley might fare.

Inside the matchup: This should be a matchup of two high-powered offenses. Buena Park scored 62 points last week and the Trojans have averaged 58.3 in their three previous games. Don't be surprised if these two teams combine for more than 100 on Friday.

Both teams rely heavily on the run game. The Trojans have three main runners: Myles and Malachi Harper and Stephon Rogers. Myles Harper has been featured much more prominently in recent weeks, as he's terrorized opposing defenses for 214 yards per game and 16 touchdowns on 17.2 yards per carry in his last five games. Staggering numbers.

For the Coyotes, Jaden Moore is the primary ball carrier, having rushed for 1,002 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. But four others have scored touchdowns on the ground.

The similarities between the two teams largely stop there. Yucca Valley steamrolled the competition in the Desert Valley League and has now won eight consecutive games. Buena Park, on the other hand, played in a much tougher league and has won just two of its last six games.

What will likely decide the game: The biggest factor for Yucca Valley could be how the Trojans respond if the Coyotes neutralize the run game early. Doing so will surely be a point of emphasis for the Buena Park defense.

It's easy to forget that Yucca Valley also has a devastating aerial attack, with all-league quarterback Michael Ramos, Jr. and record-breaking receiver Javin Hudson. But Ramos was injured for part of the season and the Trojans have not had to rely on his arm to win games. They might finally have to at this point in the season.

Hudson, for his part, has the size and athletic ability to take over a game. He's 6-foot-1 and weighs 200 pounds and can outrun and outjump most defensive backs. Yucca Valley may need him to be locked in to win this game.

Yucca Valley coach Jeremy Johnson says: "We just need to play our style of football. We can't make mistakes. Last game we didn't have any penalties -- that would be our goal. Buena Park definitely has some athletes. We'll try to minimize their run game and force them to throw and back there waiting will be our free safety, Javin Hudson."

Cal Preps predicted score: Yucca Valley 38, Buena Park 35

Andrew John’s predicted score: Yucca Valley 42, Buena Park 31

Shad Powers’ predicted score: Yucca Valley 56, Buena Park 40

Kennedy (7-4) at Xavier Prep (6-4)

What: Division 10, second-round playoff game (Friday, 7 p.m.)

Know the foe: Kennedy, located in La Palma, is an at-large playoff team and the fifth-place team in the Empire League.

Kennedy runs a balanced offense that starts with its quarterback, Devin Almazan, who has thrown for 1,650 yards and 20 touchdowns, with seven interceptions. Receiver Drew Deese has caught seven touchdown passes and running back Rider Street has scored six times on the ground.

Cal Preps gives the Fighting Irish an 8 on its rating system. It gives Xavier Prep a 2.7.

Common opponents (0): None. But Kennedy decisively beat Sonora, the team that just beat Rancho Mirage last week. Rancho Mirage beat Xavier Prep a week earlier.

Inside the matchup: The Saints match up well with the Fighting Irish, in that they have a blue chip pass rusher with multiple Division I scholarship offers in Kyle Hill. He should be able to help pressure Almazan, who will be throwing into a very talented defensive secondary.

Saints cornerback Braden Cervello has recorded eight interceptions this season, which is among the most in the state. Tyson Ruiz, T.J. Bosley and Alexander Vazquez give Xavier Prep four playmakers in a secondary that Kennedy will surely look to test.

Things get tricky for Xavier Prep when the Saints are on offense. With a freshman starting at quarterback, Xavier Prep would be wise to try to establish the run game behind its offensive line, led by 6-foot-8, 340-pound tackle Elijah Vaikona. Kennedy allowed six rushing touchdowns and 5.9 yards per carry during its last two regular season games and with Jesus Pazos and Austin McDanel in the backfield the Saints may be able to have some success there.

What will likely decide the game: The Saints will remain in this game because of their stout defense, which has allowed just one touchdown in its last two games — both against CIF playoff teams. This team has that old-school, defense-wins-championships mentality and the swagger to match.

But you still have to score points to win games, and what will decide whether Xavier Prep advances is whether the Saints can make plays and sustain drives on offense. The defense will get worn down if the offense turns the ball over and is unable to stay on the field for long stretches.

So, what we see deciding the game is whether Xavier Prep can generate even a little bit of offense against a defense that has been battle-tested against some very good offenses already this season.

Xavier Prep coach James Dockery says: "The key for us is the same as the last few weeks -- continuing to focus on playing a clean game, limiting penalties on first down, being efficient with our personnel and bringing our tenacity from the start of the first quarter until the final whistle."

Cal Preps predicted score: Kennedy 17, Xavier Prep 16

Andrew John’s predicted score: Kennedy 13, Xavier Prep 10

Shad Powers’ predicted score: Kennedy 26, Xavier Prep 14

Coachella Valley (9-2) at Don Lugo (5-6)

What: Division 12, second-round playoff game (Friday, 7 p.m.)

Know the foe: Don Lugo (from Chino) is 5-6 and finished 3-0 and in first place in the San Antonio League. The Conquistadores won their playoff opener 45-31 over Santa Paula.

Common opponents (0): None.

Inside the matchup: I hope the scoreboard operator has been getting his/her rest, because this figures to be a high-scoring affair. We all know what Aaron Ramirez did last week with a remarkable 391 rushing yards and four touchdowns, but Don Lugo quarterback Kalib Pacheco was putting up gaudy numbers of his own. The Conquistadores gun-slinger threw for 445 yards and six touchdowns in their playoff-opening win.

That followed a regular season that saw Pacheco throw for 3,000 yards and 38 touchdowns. His favorite target last Friday was receiver Gavin Hryneszuk with a huge 12-catch, 255-yard, three-touchdown game. No one on the team rushes for 50 yards a game, so this is a pass-first, pass-second and pass-again type of offense. It will be a tough test for an Arabs team that really hasn't seen an aerial attack like this.

What will likely decide the game: With these two explosive teams, getting any kind of defensive stop will be huge. And also, of course, holding onto the ball. With any type of turnover, you might find yourself behind by 14 points in an instant. So, I know it's not novel to say, limit turnovers and dumb penalties, but in a game like this it may be difficult to overcome those mistakes.

The numbers show that Don Lugo has had trouble stopping teams all year, and that includes teams that don't have an Aaron Ramirez on it. In 11 games, the Conquistadores have yielded a whopping 414 points. That's almost 40 points per game. The Arabs, conversely, have yielded 216 points in 10 games. While it's true that Don Lugo has played a more difficult schedule than Coachella Valley, that's a pretty huge disparity.

The Arabs haven't seen too many pass-happy teams in the course of the year, and this will be an ultimate test for the defense and the secondary, in particular. Forget about being tested, this will be like having the final exam in your first day of class.

The kicking game could be important, too, particularly in the world of extra points. I expect both teams to score five or more touchdowns, so how those PATs go could will be a huge factor. In fact, if either team has a suspect kicking game, it might be smart just to go for two points every time. If you connect on two-thirds of those, those bonus point could be huge.

Coachella Valley coach Bill Johnson says: "It's been a while since we've been in the second round, but I like the confidence the guys are showing. Nobody feels like it's a stage too large or anything like that, they feel like they belong. We expect it to be a four-quarter battle and it's going to come down to some unit, some player, some group making THAT play. I think of like the Yucca Valley game last year where it was an offensive shootout, but it came down to a defensive stop on a two-point conversion. That's the beauty, the joy, the thrill of football. Two evenly matched squads, battle it back and forth, and maybe it comes down to one play and we're confident we can be the team that makes that play."

Cal Preps predicted score: Coachella Valley 44, Don Lugo 41

Andrew John’s predicted score: Coachella Valley 54, Don Lugo 46

Shad Powers’ predicted score: Coachella Valley 58, Don Lugo 41

Desert Hot Springs (8-3) at Baldwin Park (4-7)

What: Division 13, second-round playoff game (Friday, 7 p.m.)

Know the foe: Just like Desert Hot Springs will be next year in the Sun Valley League, Baldwin Park is in a league with just four teams. They finished second with a 2-1 Mount Baldy League record to make the playoffs, despite a 3-7 overall record. They defeated Estancia 23-14 in the playoff opener.

Common opponents (0): None.

Inside the matchup: Offensively, it sounds like Baldwin Park is similar to the Golden Eagles in that they have a dual-threat quarterback that can beat a team with his arm and feet. For the Braves, that player is Jake Garcia. Garcia has thrown for more than 1,000 yards this year and 16 touchdowns. He is also part of the team’s rushing attack along with running back Corey Lacy, both of whom have over 600 yards rushing this season. Caleb Calvin has 10 receiving touchdowns to lead the way.

The Braves are not a high-scoring team, averaging around 20 points per game while yielding around 30. The Golden Eagles are pretty much the exact opposite scoring 30 a game and yielding 20.

What will likely decide the game: For Desert Hot Springs, it's about feeling comfortable in the postseason. Last week was the team's first home playoff game ever and it seems like nerves might've gotten to them early in that game. They needed a rally to eke out a win against a team they beat handily during the season. But now we're onto Week 2 of the playoffs and the Golden Eagles can exhale, having gotten the history of a first-ever playoff win out of the way. Now they can just relax and play and that could do wonders for them.

This is a team they can beat if they play a fundamentally sound game. Something they haven't done consistently in their last two games. A steady dose of talented running back Christian Davis might be the way to go in this game as Baldwin Park has not been stout against the run.

Desert Hot Springs coach Roy Provost says: "We've got to stay focused and grounded. We've made history a few times this year, we just gotta keep making it. We've had this in our sights since we started. I never thought that we couldn't make it here. Baldwin Park is a solid team. I feel like we've been battle-tested against some tough running backs of late. As long as we win the trenches, we'll have success for sure."

Cal Preps predicted score: Desert Hot Springs 31, Baldwin Park 22

Andrew John’s predicted score: Desert Hot Springs 21, Baldwin Park 13

Shad Powers’ predicted score: Desert Hot Springs 26, Baldwin Park 19

Andrew John covers sports in the Coachella Valley for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.

Shad Powers is a sports columnist 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: CIF football: Second round game previews, predictions for all four Coachella Valley teams