CIF-SS 2025 Football Brackets Revealed: Full Schedule and Pairings for Coachella Valley Teams

In the 2025 CIF Southern Section football playoffs, Yucca Valley and Coachella Valley high schools can meet for the Desert Valley League championship. However, for it to happen, each side would need to win their first two games.

Among the more interesting playoff matches featuring desert teams would undoubtedly be that one. Another possibility is that Coachella Valley or Yucca Valley will play Desert Christian Academy in the D12 title game.

After revealing that scenario and numerous others on Sunday, the 2025 CIF-SS playoff pairings were made public. Eight local teams qualified for different levels.

With their league finishes, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Coachella Valley, Yucca Valley, Desert Christian Academy, and Desert Hot Springs all earned automatic playoff spots.

The top seeds in each division are Yucca Valley, Palm Springs, and Palm Desert.

“I think it’s great for the kids,” Palm Springs head coach Darryl Goree said. “Us coaches know we still have to play. It just brightens the target on us.”

Jeremy Johnson, the head coach of Yucca Valley, was equally happy.

“I was thrilled to get the No. 1 seed,” reported Johnson. “We have to play a pretty tough 9-1 Costa Mesa team, but I’m hoping that our tough non-league schedule has helped us prepare for the playoffs.”

Shadow Hills qualified for the postseason as an at-large in Division 11 after tying with Xavier Prep for fourth place in the Desert Empire League, behind Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and La Quinta. The Knights have advanced to the postseason as an at-large team for the second time in as many seasons. They went on to become the only valley team to win a postseason game after it happened the previous year.

The local playoff teams for this year are broken down by division here:

D7: Palm Springs (9-1)
D8: Palm Desert (7-3)
D8: La Quinta (7-3)
D11: Shadow Hills (5-5)
D12: Yucca Valley (6-4)
D12: Coachella Valley (5-5)
D12: Desert Christian Academy (10-0)
D13: Desert Hot Springs (5-5)

The Division 12 playoffs are even more interesting because nearby Banning qualified and will host Coachella Valley in the opening round. On October 17, Desert Hot Springs lost to the Broncos by a mere point (28-27).

Up until two years ago, Coachella Valley and Banning were both in the DVL. After that, Banning switched to the Sun Valley League. In 2018, the two teams faced off in what turned out to be the de facto DVL final game, as the Arabs prevailed 73-56 in a thrilling shootout.

“D12 looks really interesting,” Coachella Valley head coach Bill Johnson said. “I think that’s exciting for the fans to see what could be a lot of local matchups. For us, there’s history between us and Banning, so that makes this really fun.”

Unless otherwise decided this week by the two schools playing each other in each matchup, all first round games are set for Friday at 7 p.m.

Here are the first round matchups including valley teams:

D7: Claremont (7-3) at Palm Springs (9-1)
D8: Marina (6-4) at Palm Desert (7-3)
D10: La Quinta (7-3) at Fullerton (8-2)
D11: Jurupa Hills (4-6) at Shadow Hills (5-5)
D12: Costa Mesa (9-1) at Yucca Valley (6-4)
D12: Arroyo Valley (8-2) at Desert Christian Academy (10-0)
D12: Coachella Valley (5-5) at Banning (8-2)
D13: Desert Hot Springs (5-5) at Woodbridge (2-8)

Initial takeaways

Several regional teams should have a strong postseason run this year. Valley coaches should be overjoyed that the Trojans, Indians, and Aztecs are all placed first in their respective brackets, while Desert Christian Academy is ranked second and Shadow Hills is ranked fourth.

La Quinta and Xavier Prep, two teams who did not earn an at-large spot, might be bit disappointed. The Saints probably would have advanced to the postseason rather than the Knights if they had defeated Shadow Hills last Thursday.

Palm Desert, the team that defeated La Quinta 35-0 on Thursday, is in the same division as them. The Blackhawks enjoyed a strong start to the season before injuries started to pile up, which is probably why they are in Division 8. My first thought is that they should have been in Division 9, not Division 8. However, with a number of important players sidelined, they can struggle in that league at this stage of the season.

Coachella Valley may be the finest of our local teams in Division 12, which they think is a division I truly like. Last month, they defeated the top seed, Yucca Valley, 55-30, and based on the other teams in the division, they believe the Arabs have a serious chance to play for the title. The victor of that possible DVL rematch, however, ought to be one of the favorites to win the division because Yucca Valley also has a pretty clear route.

They may be sleeping on the unbeaten Desert Christian Academy, but according to many rating systems, the Conquerors haven’t faced anyone quite as excellent as the Trojans and Arabs, so until that happens, they doubt they’ll win.