Week 2 of high school football: Five things we've got our eyes on
It was a bit of a disjointed opening week for desert football teams as the always-undefeated Mother Nature was the most impactful player of the weekend.
Two games were canceled due to lightning, two were delayed, four teams weren't scheduled to play, and those that did saw a lot of those first-game jitters and penalties.
But there were some positive results. Desert Hot Springs and Rancho Mirage picked up impressive road wins and Shadow Hills retained the Mayor's Cup.
After that sloppy soft opening, let's see what Week 2 has in store. Here is what I'll have my eye on this week.
Can Yucca Valley live up to the hype?
The Yucca Valley Trojans have been looking forward to 2023 for a while now. The same group of freshman and sophomores that took their lumps two years ago, are now juniors and seniors and the expect big things. They kick off their season Thursday with a trick matchup against a Rancho Christian team with a freshman quatrerback that threw for 400 yards in last week's opener. If the Trojans can shake off the rust and beat a confident team with a win already under its belt, it will be a huge first step toward a big season. This game has high-scoring barn-burner written all over it and I can't wait to see how it goes.
La Quinta's encore
The La Quinta Blackhawks, who like Yucca Valley did not play on opening weekend, make their 2023 debut on the road at Heritage (Menifee) on Friday. The Blackhawks broke through last season with a stellar run that included a shared league title and a playoff win. It was nice to see a traditional power like the Blackhawks find their footing again. So this year's group has the tricky task of keeping that upward trajectory going and make sure it wasn't a one-year wonder. And though La Quinta was hit hard by graduation, I think the pride that came with last year's effort has remained and lifted the general confidence level of the program. We may not know all the names and faces yet, but I'm expecting the Blackhawks to perhaps surprise their detractors this year and maintain the high level of last year's team. Step one begins Friday.
That winning glow
How bout them Golden Eagles? Desert Hot Springs talked a lot about a new attitude and an explosive offense under new coach Roy Provost leading into the season and then they backed it up loudly in their opener last week with a 56-8 drubbing of Rubidoux. Not a bad start for a team that went 2-8 last year. Messiah Smith (153) and Christian Davis (106) both hit triple-digits in rushing yards in the win. We'll get a great look at how far the Golden Eagles have risen this week when they host a Jurupa Valley team that beat DHS by 23 points last year. I can't wait to see how DHS follows up that big win.
Desert Hot Springs opens season with a 56-8 win over Rubidoux
Rajahs reboot
Indio has a great defense. We knew that going in and they showed that in holding the Shadow Hills offense to 13 points in the opener despite being on the field most of the night. The offense needs to step up this year if the Rajahs are to meet their goals. That didn't happen against the Knights, but I'm not ready to ring all the alarm bells just yet. Shadow Hills is a ferocious defense, likely the best Indio will face this year. But I'm going to be looking for some improvement from that side of the ball this week in a road game against Hemet. With that Indio defense, it will only take about a touchdown a half to get the win.
Aztecs, Indians bounce back
Two of last year's DEL co-champs started the 2023 season with a loss last week as the Aztecs failed to find an offensive rhythm, and the Indians couldn't execute the important plays down the stretch. I'm interested to see how the teams bounce back this week, both having difficult road contests. The Aztecs are at El Centro, a team that Palm Desert needed overtime to beat last year. The Indians are at Monrovia, a team that made the playoffs with a high-scoring team last year. I don't necessarily need to see victories in these road contests from the Aztecs and Indians, but I want to see a step in the right direction as the teams try to build an identity under new coaches.
Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.
This week's schedule
(all games at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
THURSDAY'S GAMES
Yucca Valley at Rancho Christian
Shadow Hills at Norte Vista
Desert Mirage at Calipatria
Desert Christian Academy at CMI (Perris)
FRIDAY'S GAMES
Twentynine Palms at Canyon Springs
Jurupa Valley at Desert Hot Springs
Coachella Valley at Palo Verde Valley
Indio at Hemet
La Quinta at Heritage
Palm Desert at Central (El Centro)
Palm Springs at Monrovia
Xavier Prep at LaSalle
Note: The Aliso Niguel at Rancho Mirage as well as the Desert Chapel at Silver Valley games have been canceled this week due to fallout from the weather. Also Cathedral City has a scheduled off week this week.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Week 2 of high school football: Five things we've got our eyes on
