Prep Football Previews

The Calexico Bulldogs are looking to put last season behind them and build momentum as they continue through the 2026 football season.

The Gila Ridge Hawks enter the 2026 season with high expectations after capturing the Desert Southwest Region championship last year and making one of the deepest playoff runs in program history.

“The early bird gets the worm.” That is what the Southwest Eagles are living by as they continue to reshape their football program.

Vincent Memorial is off to a perfect 2-0 start this season, and the Scots are looking to turn that momentum into a return to the playoffs.

After finishing 1-8 last season, the Criminals entered the offseason determined to rebuild from the ground up.

Cibola’s last postseason appearance came in 2017. Now entering his third season as head coach Caleb Gillispie is hoping to take another step forward with the program.

After back-to-back 9-1 regular seasons and eight consecutive playoff appearances, not including the COVID-19 season, Imperial has established itself as one of the Imperial Valley’s premier football programs.

It’s a new chapter for the Brawley wildcats as first-year head coach Rick Stewart takes over after coming to Brawley from Calipatria.

The Palo Verde Yellow Jackets are entering the 2026 football season looking to build on a deep playoff run while navigating a new chapter for the program.

In their first season back in the Imperial Valley League in decades, the Holtville Vikings wasted little time establishing themselves as a powerhouse.

The Central Spartans enter the 2026 football season with lofty expectations after a successful 2025 campaign that ended with a CIF San Diego Section Division III runner-up finish.

Kofa kicks off their season at home against Maryvale on Friday, August 28. The team says their goals for this season is to win their region and make playoffs, which they have only done twice in program history.

The Yuma Catholic Shamrocks are entering another season of change, but the foundation of one of the Desert Southwest’s most successful football programs remains firmly intact.

The Antelope Rams enter the 2026 season with unfinished business after narrowly missing the postseason a year ago.

After an up-and-down 2025 season, the Calipatria Hornets are looking to turn the page under new leadership.

San Pasqual football enters the 2026 season with a familiar goal: Win every game. For fourth-year head coach Miguel Rivas, achieving that goal starts with learning how to finish.

Head coach Fernando Santana enters the 2026 season with one of the youngest rosters in recent years. Despite the lack of seniors on the roster, Santana believes the Scots have the talent to compete after an encouraging offseason.

The Somerton Toros showed plenty of heart under head football coach Cyril “Junior” Atherton in year one at the varsity level. Unfortunately, that didn’t correlate to the program’s first win.

The Yuma High Criminals are looking to establish a winning culture and bounce back from a rough 2025 season.