Preview: Indio Rajahs vs. Coachella Valley Mighty Arabs
Indio is 0-9 against Coachella Valley since November of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Indio Rajahs will look to defend their home field against the Coachella Valley Mighty Arabs at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Thursday, Indio got the win against Banning by a conclusive 28-6.
Abraham Acuna and Pedro Olmeda were among the main playmakers for Indio as the former rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries and the latter rushed for 215 yards and a touchdown while picking up 11.9 yards per carry. Acuna's longest rush was for an incredible 70 yards. Ken Remigio did his part by putting the 'special' in special teams, booting in four field goals.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Coachella Valley on the road against Cathedral City on Friday as the team secured a 52-8 victory. The win made it back-to-back wins for Coachella Valley.
It was another big night for Aaron Ramirez, who rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns on only ten carries. Derek Calderon was another key contributor, throwing for 117 yards and three touchdowns.
Their wins bumped Indio to 4-5 and Coachella Valley to 7-2.
Friday's match might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Indio has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 160.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Coachella Valley struggles in that department as they've been even better at 258.6 per game. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Indio couldn't quite finish off Coachella Valley when the teams last played back in October of 2022 and fell 13-10. Will Indio have more luck at home instead of on the road?
