Aztec Football Heads Into Promising Season

by Bannon Clark, Staff Writer

The Aztecs head into this football season with a target on their backs. After an undefeated regular season last year, Palm Desert football head coach Shane McComb comes into this year saying that his team “needs to show up every day like it’s the next.” The Aztecs boasted a perfect season until a loss in the CIF playoffs. This season, the team started out on the wrong foot this year following a devastating loss to Beaumont, with a final score of 37-7. Senior running back Simon Gaete fumbled on the first play of the game, quarterback Garrett Hayden was injured in the third quarter, and the rest was history.

Regardless of the loss, the Aztecs have made it clear they will be serious contenders in the CIF playoffs. It will be difficult to replace the likes of players like Jordan Garcia or Jack Queenen, but this team proves more experienced than ever. This year, the starters are almost all juniors and seniors, and according to the Desert Sun, the team holds the best offensive line in the league, featuring seniors Daryne Murillo and Elijah Sanchez. Seniors Derrick Pine, Cole Martello, and Andrew Gonzalez lead the defense, while Simon Gaete will make the transfer from wide receiver to running back, filling some big shoes on the offense. Incoming transfer Zavier Hill-Kemp, flashy on both offense and defense, shows much promise.

In the upcoming season, the Aztecs will face familiar teams like La Quinta, Palm Springs, and Xavier, but they have already taken on an unfamiliar opponent: the Permian Panthers, six-time state champions out of Odessa, Texas, who are well-known from the movie and TV show Friday Night Lights. The Aztecs lost, with a final score of 47-14, but spirits are still high among our football players, who are looking forward to a strong season. Don’t forget to check out our football schedule and support the Aztecs at all their home and away games!