Juan Ramon Ruiz officially returning as La Quinta's head football coach

Andrew L. John, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·2 min read
La Quinta head coach Juan Ramon Ruiz is interviewed by local media after their game at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif., Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.
La Quinta head coach Juan Ramon Ruiz is interviewed by local media after their game at La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif., Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.

Juan Ramon Ruiz, who guided the La Quinta High School football team to a share of the Desert Empire League title as an interim head coach last season, has been hired as the Blackhawks’ permanent head coach for the 2023 season and possibly beyond.

The hire was made official Tuesday evening with board approval from the Desert Sands Unified School District.

Ruiz, the school’s athletics director, filled in last season on an interim basis after Patrick Rivenes left the program for a teaching opportunity elsewhere.

With Ruiz at the helm, the Blackhawks finished 7-5, which marked the best finish and first league title at the school since 2016. La Quinta’s first round CIF Southern Section playoff win over Granite Hills (Apple Valley) was the first postseason win at the school since 2015.

Ruiz, 47, was the head coach at Coachella Valley High from 2007-10 and led the Arabs to 15 wins in 41 games during that span. He later served as the defensive coordinator at La Quinta before stepping into the role as head coach.

La Quinta head coach Juan Ruiz watches his team during the second quarter of their CIF-SS quarterfinal game in La Quinta, Calif., Friday, Nov. 11, 2022.
La Quinta head coach Juan Ruiz watches his team during the second quarter of their CIF-SS quarterfinal game in La Quinta, Calif., Friday, Nov. 11, 2022.

Ruiz is just the third head football coach in the history of the school, which opened in 1994. Dan Armstrong coached the Blackhawks from 1994 to 2017 before Rivenes took over prior to the 2018 season.

With Ruiz back, the Blackhawks will look to return to the postseason despite the loss of several key seniors, including DEL offensive player of the year Tommy Ansley.

La Quinta is expected to have multiple key starters back, including the top returning rusher in the DEL, Aiden Nsubuga, who ran for 1,575 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.

"Just excited for the opportunity to build great young men and on the accomplishments of last season," Ruiz said, "to get LQ football to be a consistent contender in the DEL."

Andrew John covers sports in the Coachella Valley for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: La Quinta head football coach Juan Ramon Ruiz to return