Inside the Win: Second-half changes bring Xavier Prep 14-3 win over Palm Desert

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Xavier College Prep Saints have made history for their school in the Battle of Cook Street game Friday night. For the first time, the Saints football team defeated Palm Desert on the Aztecs field.

Not only did the Saints win 14-3, but it also marks back-to-back Battle of Cook Street wins for the program.

"I'm just proud of these boys, and I can't wait to see what they do next," Saints head coach Michael Karls said.

Coming back onto the field from halftime, the Saints were down 3-0 to the Aztecs. But, everything changed after that break at half, where Xavier Prep regrouped and came out ready to win.

"The first half, it's like a, heavyweight match," Karls said. "You're trying to feel each other out. You're trying to see what the other team is doing, and then when we made adjustments in the second half, we countered with some some of the things that they were doing to us offensively and defensively."

"We're a second half team, right?" Senior Joe Mejia said. "Being able to make adjustments at a half is huge for us."

The Saints operated differently on both sides of the ball. Offensively, their senior quarterback Sam Mourhess came to life. Mourhess, coupled with his running back group and wide receiver Mejia, was able to put up 14 unanswered points in the second half.

"Offensively, our guys were able to get downhill," Karls said. "We were able to run the ball effectively, and our quarterback, Sam Mourhess, was a true leader and was able to go for the win when we needed him the most."

But it wasn't just the offense shining on the field, the linemen and the Saints defense were on top of their game. The linemen helped ensure the Aztecs didn't reach the board in the second half, and took up time on the clock.

"Shout out to the big boys up front," Mejia said. "They do everything man. Our five linemen, straight dogs. They led us that whole fourth quarter."

Xavier Prep now shares first place in the Desert Empire League rankings, at 2-0 in league play, with La Quinta. The Saints will face the Rancho Mirage Rattlers on the road Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage of high school athletics, and for Inside the Win with Kendall Flynn every Saturday.