Football Game Preview: Shadow Hills Knights vs. Palm Desert Aztecs + How To Watch

Shadow Hills is 2-8 against Palm Desert since September of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Knights will look to defend their home field against the Aztecs at 7:00 p.m. Shadow Hills is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 34.1 points per game this season.

Shadow Hills is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Palm Springs on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Knights lost 41-21 to the Indians.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Brandon Peffers, who picked up 102 receiving yards and one TD.

Jacob Gavin

Total Tackles

08/22/25 vs Indio	1
09/05/25 vs Yucaipa	4
10/03/25 @ Rancho Mirage	4
08/29/25 @ Palo Verde Valley	5
10/10/25 @ Palm Springs	9

Shadow Hills didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Jacob Gavin. He also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with nine.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Palm Desert, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They blew past Rancho Mirage 31-7 on Friday. That looming 31-7 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Aztecs yet this season.

Palm Desert pushed their record up to 4-3 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 27.5 points over those games. As for Shadow Hills, their loss dropped their record down to 4-3.

Shadow Hills couldn't quite get it done against Palm Desert when the teams last played back in October of 2024 as they fell 17-7. Thankfully for the Knights, Connor Orfield (who threw for 252 yards and a pair of touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.