Football Recap: Alfred 'AJ' Rivera Jr.'s Big Game Can't Quite Lead Palm Desert over Xavier Prep + How To Watch

The home team had won the previous three meetings between Palm Desert and Xavier Prep, and Xavier Prep kept the tradition alive. The Aztecs took a 19-14 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Saints on Friday. The Aztecs were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Saints apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in October of 2024.

Trey Boulton

Receiving Yards

09/05/25 vs Elsinore	102
10/03/25 @ Xavier Prep	94
08/29/25 @ Central	59
09/19/25 @ Redlands	46
09/12/25 @ Yucaipa	46

Several Aztecs players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Alfred 'AJ' Rivera Jr., who threw for 237 yards and one TD, and also rushed for 41 yards. 94 of Rivera Jr.'s passing yards were hauled in by Trey Boulton.

Don't try to pin the team's loss on the defense: they kept the trenches locked down and allowed a mere 1.3 yards per carry. The team can thank Darius Pine for the heroic effort on defense: he. Palm Desert's ground attack was stronger, having averaged three.

Palm Desert's defense didn't let Kingston Pellum, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. Leading the way was Jackson Bishop with two. He is on a roll when it comes to sacks, as he's now posted at least one in each of the last four games he's played. Palm Desert received some extra help from Parker Gladish, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.

Palm Desert's defeat dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Xavier Prep, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 5-1.

We've got plenty of inter-league action coming up soon. Palm Desert will challenge rival Rancho Mirage at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. That matchup will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Rivera Jr. and Julian Hernandez. Meanwhile, Xavier Prep is set to square off against their familiar foe La Quinta at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.