Desert Empire Top Player Performances of the Week
Congratulations to this week's top players! We're covering the best performances in games played on Thursday and Friday (using all statistics entered as of the time of writing). Enjoy!
A Season-Best Effort from Jordan Johnson Leads Palm Springs over Shadow Hills
On Thursday, Palm Springs had to settle for second even though Jordan Johnson put up the best numbers he has all season. Johnson rushed for 165 yards and three touchdowns.
Palm Springs dropped their record down to 3-4 with the loss, which was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season. Johnson and Palm Springs will challenge Xavier Prep at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Gamescore: 38.20
Pedro Trujillo Sets Career High in Rushing Yards
On Thursday, Shadow Hills got the W thanks in part to Pedro Trujillo playing the best football he has all season. Trujillo threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns while completing 73.1% of his passes, and also rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown, good enough to set a new career-high in rushing yards in the process.
If history really does repeat itself, Trujillo might just drop another big game when he faces off against Palm Desert on Friday. Back in October of 2023 (the last time Trujillo saw the Aztecs), he picked up 73 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 62 yards.
Gamescore: 37.80
Another Game with at Least Five Total Tackles from Jackson Bishop
Palm Desert came up short on Friday despite Jackson Bishop delivering his best game to date. Bishop wasn't messing around, picking up 1.5 sacks and making 13 total tackles (6.0 for loss). The contest was his 17th straight with five or more total tackles dating back to last season.
Rancho Mirage had to have seen this coming; the last time they saw Bishop it was a similar story. Bishop picked up two sacks and made seven total tackles the last time he and the Rattlers duked it out back in October of 2023.
Gamescore: 33.75
Davelle Johnson Makes It Two for Palm Springs
Another Palm Springs player making an appearance on this list is Davelle Johnson. He made three total tackles and defended a pass. He didn't just play on offense: he also made three total tackles and defended a pass.
Gamescore: 31.33
Ruberg Posts Huge Game in 34-7 Win
Rounding off our Top Five is James Madden Ruberg of La Quinta. Ruberg rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns. He was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 55 yards.
La Quinta's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-1. Ruberg will try to repeat (or improve) on that dominant effort when he faces off against Rancho Mirage on Friday.
Gamescore: 29.40
Other Notable Players
- Bishop Miller: 290 yards passing; 26 yards rushing (Gamescore: 27.33)
- Payton Reynolds: 95 yards receiving, 1 TD (Gamescore: 25.50)
- Jojo Diaz: 85 yards rushing, 2 TDs (Gamescore: 21.67)
- Adrian Rangel: 11 total tackles (4.0 for loss) (Gamescore: 21.50)
- Noah Fajardo: 10 total tackles (2.0 for loss) and 1 forced fumble (Gamescore: 21.50)
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
