Football Preview: La Quinta Blackhawks vs. Palm Desert Aztecs
The La Quinta Blackhawks will take on the Palm Desert Aztecs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. La Quinta is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 29.7 points per game this season.
La Quinta is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Shadow Hills just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They were just a hair shy of victory and fell 30-29 to the Knights.
Despite the loss, La Quinta saw an underclassman step up: sophomore James Madden Ruberg rushed for 198 yards and two touchdowns. Ruberg's rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 127 rushing yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Payton Reynolds, who picked up 91 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Even though they lost, La Quinta was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 208 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 183 rushing yards in nine consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Palm Desert took their match on Friday with ease, bagging a 35-6 victory over Palm Springs. That 29 point margin sets a new team best for the Aztecs this season.
La Quinta's defeat ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 7-2. As for Palm Desert, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Things could have been worse for La Quinta, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 30-14 loss to Palm Desert in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. Will La Quinta have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
