Before the 2026 football season even began, some were already calling junior Judah Garrison the best high school athlete in the entire Coachella Valley.
After all, as a sophomore he averaged nearly 21 points per game on the basketball court, hit .405 on the baseball diamond and intercepted six passes and caught 11 others for touchdowns on the football field.
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On Friday, Garrison added more validity to that claim in leading Desert Christian Academy to the school’s historic first playoff win in football in a 28-21 CIF Southern Section Division 7 win over Laguna Hills.
Garrison intercepted two passes, returning one of them 101 yards for a touchdown and recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter to set up the go-ahead touchdown.
Not that Garrison did it all alone. Several players had a big role in the win, including junior Jayvon Garcia who caught a touchdown pass on a broken play while the Conquerors were attempting a field goal.
Sophomore quarterback Mario Gallo ran for the game-winning touchdown and threw another to sophomore receiver Nathdaniel Guerrero. Sophomore linebacker Preston Maetinez intercepted the ball on Laguna Hills’ final possession to seal the game.
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“This is a tough group,” Conquerors head coach Chris Johnson said. “They worked really hard for this.”
Desert Christian Academy’s Judah Garrison looks for room to run after a catch during the first quarter of their game in Bermuda Dunes, Calif., Friday, Nov. 6, 2026.
DCA took a 14-7 lead in the third quarter, but allowed touchdowns on consecutive drives to fall behind 21-14 in the fourth quarter before mounting a comeback and outscoring the Hawks 14-0 over the final eight minutes.
The Conquerors are now 11-0 and will advance to play La Mirada (8-3) in the second round.
DCA is one of four teams from the valley to advance. Rancho Mirage and Desert Hot Springs won their games to advance in Division 10, and Xavier Prep also won in Division 11.
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La Quinta, Yucca Valley, Twentynine Palms and Desert Mirage each concluded their season with a loss.
Desert Christian Academy quarterback Mario Gallo takes a snap during the first quarter of their game in Bermuda Dunes, Calif., Friday, Nov. 6, 2026.
For the Conquerors, Friday wasn’t just about winning their first playoff game. It was also about making a statement to the rest of the valley and anyone who may have doubted that they were for real.
“It’s our first playoff win ever, so that’s a lot of history right there,” Garrison said. “But our goals is CIF and our goal is state, so anything less than that we’re not going to accept.
“So, great win tonight and onto next week.”
Andrew John covers sports and recreation in the Coachella Valley for The Desert Sun. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Desert Christian Academy claims historic first football playoff win
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
