Desert Hot Springs football secures first win of the season against Desert Mirage
It has been a tough season for the Desert Hot Springs football team, but they finally grabbed their first win of the season on Monday night, beating Desert Mirage 30-8.
This game was dominated by the Golden Eagles defense from start to finish. The defense forced a safety and three turnovers in the first half, one of which was a fumble recovery that went for a touchdown. The second half featured more of the same as the Golden Eagles forced multiple turnovers again and scored another defensive touchdown, only allowing a touchdown in the final four minutes of the game.
The Desert Hot Springs offense struggled for much of the first half, and they were not able to capitalize off of the excellent field position, stalling out in the red zone multiple times. While they had their struggles, the offense made plays when they needed to. They scored near the end of the first half to give themselves a two possession lead, and scored at the start of the second half to extend that lead.
The game was played on Monday evening after both teams agreed to the change because of poor air quality last Friday following a dust storm that hit the Coachella
The stars
Senior defensive back Di'jion Goshay was the leading scorer for the Golden Eagles. He scored two defensive touchdowns -- one was a fumble recovery that he returned for 40 yards and the other was an interception that he returned for 60 yards.
Junior defensive back Joel Glaspie also had played well in the Golden Eagles secondary, snagging an important interception before halftime to keep the Rams out of the end zone. He also had multiple tackles as well as a fumble recovery.
Desert Hot Springs sophomore quarterback Seth Silva had a clean game, throwing for 162 yards and one touchdown with no turnovers. Junior wide receiver Diego Mira was Silva's favorite target, catching five passes for 69 yards and a touchdown.
For Desert Mirage, senior linebacker Adrian Lopez ended the game with two sacks and seven tackles, consistently causing problems for the Golden Eagles offensive line. Junior wide receiver/safety Matthew Saucedo also was a bright spot for the Rams. He ended with six tackles and two pass deflections. He also caught three passes for 30 yards.
The chatter
Desert Hot Springs head coach Errol Wilson on the team's first win: "For the team, it feels great, especially because this team is made up of a lot of first-year seniors, so this is their first win ever. It's been an emotional season so this is good for them. As a head coach, my emotions are a bit more muted. It feels like this was a game we should have won. We've got a long way to go. We made a lot of the same mistakes that lost us all of our games. I'm hoping for and expecting more improvement next week, and I hope that this win puts a bit more pep in their step."
Desert Mirage head coach Leo Felipe on the loss: "The team expected to play better than they did. It's the little things we have to improve on. The defense is playing well. We just have to take care of the football, it's as simple as that."
The moment
In the final minute of the first half, the Golden Eagles were up 16-0, and Desert Mirage was driving to try and make it a one-possession game. Through a mixture of penalties and good plays from the Rams offense, Desert Mirage drove to the Desert Hot Springs 10-yard line with six seconds left before the half. The Rams snapped the ball and tried to throw toward the end zone, but junior defensive back Joel Glaspie made the interception, keeping the score 16-0.
The takeaway
Desert Hot Springs outplayed the Rams in every phase of the game. The defense that had struggled earlier played extremely well, forcing five turnovers and holding the Rams to around 100 yards of total offense. Was this because they were playing an offense that had not scored a touchdown in three weeks? We'll have to see how they perform against the rest of the league.
The Golden Eagles offense struggled at times, especially in the first half, but showed flashes against the Rams defense that has held their own this year.
For Desert Mirage, the defense did its job, allowing only two touchdowns, but the offense continues to struggle.
What's next?
Desert Hot Springs (0-3, 1-3 DVL) is home against Twentynine Palms at noon, Saturday.
Desert Mirage (2-1, 0-4 DVL) is away against Yucca Valley at 7 p.m., Friday.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Desert Hot Springs earns first football win of season against Desert Mirage
