Shows / Desert Valley Blitz
Desert Valley Blitz
Welcome to Desert Valley Blitz – the podcast dedicated to spotlighting our local tackle football scene. From the youth leagues to Friday night lights and everything in between, we’re bringing you the stories, players, and coaches that make the desert gridiron special.
If you love CV football as much as we do, hit that follow and join us on this journey. New episodes dropping soon! 🎙️
#DesertValleyBlitz #CVFootball #CoachellaValleySports #FridayNightLights #DesertFootball”
Episodes
Desert Valley BlitzEP#48-The Desert Football Playoff Picture Comes Down To One Night
Send us Fan Mail One week left, and the desert’s playoff picture is still breathing. We’re breaking down a loaded Week 9 slate and setting the table for a Week…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#47-Playoff Races Heating Up: DHS Makes A Statement & Shadow Hills New QB Making A Name For Himself
Send us Fan Mail A shutout that nobody saw coming, an overtime stop that changes the SVL standings, and a quarterback switch that flips the DEL playoff picture…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#46-The New League Setup Makes Every Friday Feel Like A Playoff Game & DVL SVL Preview with Shad Powers
Send us Fan Mail League play is here, and the desert season instantly gets louder. We’re coming off a Week 7 that had everything: Banning still putting up…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#45-How Special Teams And Discipline Swing Desert Football
Send us Fan Mail Two one-point games can teach you more than a dozen blowouts if you’re paying attention. We’re in Week 6 wrap-up mode on Desert Valley Blitz…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#44-When Records Lie And Rivalries Tell The Truth & DEL Preview Revision with Andrew John of the Desert Sun
Send us Fan Mail The “preseason record” argument ends the second league play starts, and that’s exactly where we are on Desert Valley Blitz. We open with a…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#43-Week Four Desert High School Football Recap With Shad Powers of the Desert Sun
Send us Fan Mail You can feel it when the desert football season flips from “non-league guesses” to “league play consequences.” We’re at that midpoint now, and…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#42-What If The Best High School Football Team In The Desert Is The Smallest School
Send us Fan Mail A muffed punt at the five. A pooch kick that bounces back perfectly. A spike on fourth down. Week Three is a reminder that desert high school…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#41-Week Two Scoreboard Shockers & You Can't Fake 3 & 0
Send us Fan Mail Week two told us who can travel, who can take a punch, and who is starting to look like a real contender as the Coachella Valley high school…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#40-How A Youth Flag League Became Coachella Valley’s Friday Night Tradition-The FNL Story
Send us Fan Mail Friday Night Lights looks like a festival from the street, but what’s happening under those lights is something more lasting: kids learning…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#39-Week One Recap:Indio Looks Real While Desert Hot Springs Wins On Belief And Defense
Send us Fan Mail One week is enough to shake every preseason assumption, and we feel it all over the desert. We break down the biggest week one results and…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#38-Coachella Valley High School Football Week Zero Takeaways
Send us Fan Mail Week zero just gave the desert a whole lot to argue about and we’re here for all of it. We break down what actually mattered on the field…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#37-Recruit Coachella Valley-Recruiting Made Simple with Coach Gasu
Send us Fan Mail A college offer can feel random until you see the pattern. We’re joined by Coach Aaron Gasu of GOAT Training and Recruit Coachella Valley, and…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#36-Coachella Valley Sports Boom And High School Football DVL & SVL Preview with Emmy Award Winner Tim O'Brien
Send us Fan Mail Hockey in the desert sounded like a gimmick until the Coachella Valley Firebirds turned Acrisure Arena into one of the loudest, most…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#35-Relegation And New Coaches Will Redraw The DEL-2026 DEL & DCA Preview with Andrew John of the Desert Sun
Send us Fan Mail Preseason rankings are supposed to be fun until they’re your team. We bring Desert Sun high school football writer Andrew John into the Desert…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#34-How A Pro Football Journey Became A Youth Training Mission-The Devin Jones Story
Send us Fan Mail One bad social media post can cost a scholarship, and Devin Jones has seen it happen up close. Devin is a former LSU player who fought through…
Desert Valley BlitzEP33-How Coach P Built A Winning Football Culture in Desert Hot Springs
Send us Fan Mail One two-point call can change a season, but Coach Roy Provost says the real work happens on ordinary days. We’re joined by the all-time wins…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#32-How Coach Flip & Desert Mirage Built A Run-First Program Without A Feeder System
Send us Fan Mail A head coaching job lands in your lap one week before the season. You’re 25, you’re leading kids who are basically your little brother’s age…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#31-Coachella Valley Football Showcase Highlights with NFL Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk
Send us Fan Mail An NFL legend walks onto a sunbaked practice field in May and starts talking about discipline, not fame. From the Coachella Showcase 2026, we…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#30-Coachella Showcase 2026-Shining a Spotlight on Coachella Valley Football Talent
Send us Fan Mail Going 10-0 sounds like the finish line, but Coach Chris Johnson doesn’t talk like a coach who’s satisfied. We sit down with the Desert…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#29-From CIF Quarterback To Xavier Prep Head Coach-The Michael Karls Story
Send us Fan Mail A CIF championship quarterback becomes a head coach, and the mindset shift is bigger than any playbook. We sit down with Xavier Prep Saints…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#27-How Coach LD Matthews Built A Consistent High School Football Power
Send us Fan Mail You can hear it in Coach LD Matthews’ voice: high school football isn’t just a sport to him, it’s a community engine. We talk about how a kid…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#28-From Pro Athlete To Head Coach-Nick King On His Vision For Shadow Hills Football
Send us Fan Mail A familiar Coachella Valley name is stepping into a brand-new role. We’re joined by Nick King, the newest head coach at Shadow Hills, to…
Desert Valley BlitzEP-#26 How A Local Legend Built Consistent Winners And Shaped Generations-The Pat Blackburn Story
Send us Fan Mail What does it take to turn a high school program into a perennial contender without chasing trends or making excuses? We invited Coach Pat…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#25-Rajah That!! Rajah Nation Reborn with Coach Doc
Send us Fan Mail The Rajahs have waited three decades to feel this kind of buzz—and we’re ready to say it out loud: the turnaround starts now. We sit down with…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#24-How Coach Ruiz Rebuilt A High School Powerhouse By Prioritizing Strength, Structure, And Student Success
Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder how a high school program finds its backbone and keeps it through decades of change? We invited Coach Ramon Ruiz of La Quinta High…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#23-How Athletes Can Get To The College Level
Send us Fan Mail Want a real roadmap from high school hallways to D1 sidelines? We sat down with Angel Meraz, head athletic counselor at College of the Desert…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#22-How A Reluctant Assistant Turned Palm Springs Football Into A Powerhouse
Send us Fan Mail A head coach who never planned to be one. That’s the heart of our conversation with Palm Springs’ Darryl Gore—an assistant who almost walked…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#21-From El Paso To Palm Desert: Building A High School Football Program That Lasts-The Rudy Forti Story
Send us Fan Mail Football isn’t just a season for Rudy Forty—it’s a family lineage, a craft learned on long bus rides in El Paso and refined across college…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#20-How A Coach Turned Loss, Grit, And Innovation Into A Winning Program-The David Palmer Story
Send us Fan Mail A tough childhood in the Inland Empire, a life-altering loss, and a sideline that started with youth flag—Coach David Palmer’s path wasn’t…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#19- Former Hooper Explains How Competitiveness, Coaching, And Academics Took Him To The NFL-The James Dockery Story
Send us Fan Mail The moment James Dockery says he didn’t play tackle until eighth grade, you can feel the room lean forward. From Pomona grit to Oregon State…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#18-How Coach Bill Johnson Flipped A Football Culture
Send us Fan Mail A packed rivalry game. A struggling program. And a coach who saw both a problem and a blueprint. Coach Bill Johnson of Coachella Valley High…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#17-Hard Work Beats Talent When Talent Won’t Work-The Chris Johnson Story
Send us Fan Mail What if a high school football program could change the trajectory of an entire valley? Coach Chris Johnson joins us to share how he went from…
Desert Valley BlitzEP16-How Coach Dan Armstrong Built A High School Football Powerhouse Through Discipline And Simplicity
Send us Fan Mail What if a dynasty could be built on just four core plays, ruthless clarity, and seniors who policed the locker room better than any staff…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#15-Three Valley Contenders Fall Short As We Celebrate Their Seasons And Launch Coach’s Corner
Send us Fan Mail Three semifinal dreams, one unforgettable season. We dig into a valley-wide playoff push that showcased grit, growth, and the thin margins…
Desert Valley BlitzEp#14-Bold Calls, Rainy Nights, And Three Desert Teams One Win From The Finals
Send us Fan Mail 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…
Desert Valley BlitzEp#13-A Wild First Round Sets Up High-Stakes Road Tests
Send us Fan Mail A halftime gamble changed everything. From Banning’s aerial clinic to Coachella Valley’s three-safety adjustment that flipped the night, we…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#12-From Undefeated Runs To Bracket Breakdowns With KESQ’s Kenji Eto
Send us Fan Mail The valley just punched eight tickets to CIF, and the storylines are electric. We open with a clean Week 11 wrap-up—Palm Desert’s trench…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#11-Palm Desert Upsets, Playoffs Scramble, Rivalries Ignite
Send us Fan Mail Rivalry week is here, and the valley is buzzing. A single upset lit the fuse: Palm Desert stunned previously unbeaten Palm Springs with a…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#10-DVL Battles for the Top Spot While Palm Springs Rolls To 8-0
Send us Fan Mail A shutout says a lot, but the story behind it says more. We sat down with Palm Springs head coach Daryl Gore to unpack how an 8-0 start took…
Desert Valley BlitzEp#9-Palm Desert’s Statement Win And The DEL Shake-Up
Send us Fan Mail Defense changed the temperature of the valley. We open with Coach Rudy Forti of Palm Desert, who pulls back the curtain on a brutal preseason…
Desert Valley BlitzEp#8-Shadow Hills’ surge, Palm Springs’ statement, and a DEL race that got real
Send us Fan Mail A four-and-two surge meets an undefeated buzzsaw, and suddenly the Desert Empire League feels like a bracket before the bracket. We sit down…
Desert Valley BlitzEp#7-Rivals, Rankings, and a DEL Showdown
Send us Fan Mail The valley finally gets what it’s been waiting for: league games that feel like November in late September. We start by rewinding a wild week…
Desert Valley BlitzEp#6- Week 5 Victors and Storylines with Coach Dockery
Send us Fan Mail Coach James "Doc" Dockery of Xavier Prep joins Desert Valley Blitz to break down his team's impressive 4-1 start and analyze Week 5's most…
Desert Valley BlitzEp#5-Desert Teams Battle Through Non-League Challenges
Send us Fan Mail The real season begins when league play starts—everything else is just preparation. This week's episode features special guest Coach Bill…
Desert Valley BlitzEp#4-Valley Football Powerhouses: Palm Springs' Perfect Execution and DCA's Rising Force
Send us Fan Mail The quarterback position takes center stage in this week's Desert Valley Blitz as we welcome DCA head coach Chris Johnson to break down his…
Desert Valley BlitzEpisode #3-The DEL Bloodbath: Week Two Roundup
Send us Fan Mail Friday nights in the desert are back in full swing, and Week Two delivered the drama, surprises, and statement performances that make high…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#2-Week One Wonders: Breaking Down Desert Football's Season Openers
Send us Fan Mail Football season has arrived in the Coachella Valley, and Desert Valley Blitz delivers a comprehensive breakdown of all the opening week action…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#1-From Player to Coach: Why we got into coaching football??
Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered what football looks like through a coach's eyes? Desert Valley Blitz hosts Coach Bobby and Coach Josh pull back the curtain on…
Desert Valley BlitzEP#0-What is Desert Valley Blitz??!!
Send us Fan Mail The heartbeat of Coachella Valley football now has a voice! Desert Valley Blitz launches with coaches Bobby and Josh at the helm, creating a…