SoCal Student Section of the Week for Week 6: Palm Desert Aztec Army

There is something brewing with the students in the Coachella Valley area. 

School spirit and rowdiness in the stands is starting to get noticed over in the desert. 

We’ll get back to the desert in a minute, but let’s take a look at the other three finalist for SoCal Student Section of the Week for Week 6.

Over in San Diego, the San Marcos Blue Crew made a second straight appearance in the polling. The Blue Crew has been amazing in the stands, but the one thing they have improved this year has been their social media game.

With San Marcos facing La Costa Canyon of Carlsbad on the road in a big Avocado League matchup, the Blue Crew went road warriors and rocked the stands with a student section battle with the La Costa Canyon Stampede.

Despite the close 35-32 loss to the Mavericks, the Blue Crew is starting to make its case for the best football student section in San Diego.

While the Blue Crew has made its presence for awhile, the JSerra Pride of San Juan Capistrano has had a hard time working the social media game, but that changed on Homecoming Night when the Lions hosted Santa Margarita of Rancho Santa Margarita.

The JSerra Pride had one of the largest showings out of any student section I’ve seen this year.

The Pride went nuts all night and more so in the second half after the Lions were only up by four at halftime.

The Pride also had a student section battle with the Santa Margarita Eagles Nest.

The Lions had a 28 point third quarter, which quieted the Eagles Nest, but the Pride was just getting started.

The Pride enjoyed a 35-3 victory from the Lions and I can only come up with one fan that was more pumped up than the student section, Father Damien. 

Father Damien kept running up and down, pumping up the fans and doing push-ups after every Lions score.

The JSerra Pride is on the student section map!

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, the Valencia Vikings Nation returned to the SoCal Student Section of the Week polling and this time they didn’t need celebrities this time when the Vikings hosted Canyon of Canyon Country.

Vikings Nation filled the home stands and rocked it in Valencia 31-7 victory over the Cowboys.

Vikings Nation is looking to take the LA top spot in December.

In the end, it was once again a student section in the Inland Empire, but more specifically, the Coachella Valley area.

After the Cathedral City Black Hole took last week SoCal Student Section of the Week title, the Palm Desert Aztec Army followed suit.

With the Aztecs hosting Shadow Hills of Indio, the Aztec Army came in to do two things, support their Aztecs and win the student section battle with the Dungeon of Shadow Hills.

Both goals were met in the Aztecs 50-7 landslide victory.

The Aztec Army went to the polls and for the second time in a row, the SoCal Student Section of the Week hails from the desert. Palm Desert is the Week 6 SoCal Student Section of the Week.

We spoke with the Aztec Army on what it took to be SoCal best student section this past week.

You guys are the Week Six So Cal Student Section of the week, beating out Valencia Vikings Nation, JSerra Pride and San Marcos Blue Crew. What did it take to stand out as one of the best in Southern California?

Aztec Army: First off, this is an incredible honor, and we have improved our student section dramatically. I, as well as the other leaders like Alec, Jeremy, Anthony, and Carter came together at the beginning of the year and wanted to create a fun and exciting atmosphere rather than a boring one. We listened to what others had as far as improved our student section, and it has paid off dramatically. I think what’s different about us is we aren’t just loud in football, but other sports like volleyball. We have insane student sections for volleyball games, and lots of us go to away games, which isn’t common in many student sections. Aztec Army is a student-led group, and our faculty has been nothing but supportive. In my last three years of attending Palm Desert High, our student sections have been average, and we wanted to change it into something memorable for our school, and with this being our senior years, we have to go all out. To have this under our belt or better yet nominated for something like this is a big deal for ourselves and our school.

What is your most memorable game you have ever attended as a member of the student section?

Aztec Army: My most memorable is any flag games vs. La Quinta. It is by far the best and most exciting rivalry in all of the Coachella Valley, and they get intense. It is not just a competition on the football field but also with the student sections. We’re looking forward to battling it out with them next week, so get your popcorn ready!

Favorite theme?

Aztec Army: My favorite theme is blackout or Aztec out, which is essentially red and gold. I feel like we get the most participants when it comes to those themes.

Favorite chant?

Aztec Army: It has to be the Aztec Chant, which is us yelling Aztecs and getting faster and faster. We like to keep the chants simple, and I think that has made us better because individual schools prefer longer songs, and that leads to the crowd drowning out or not being able to hear them. We, as a group, like to be loud and keep things simple for everyone.

What’s your least favorite chant that you hear from the other side of the stadium/gym?

Aztec Army: Probably We can’t hear you because it can get a little irritating, but we fire back a better chant after we understand that, and they don’t say it for the rest of the game.

Outside of you guys, is there one student section that you have seen or heard about where you think, “Man, that is a good student section?”

Aztec Army: Murrieta Mesa Beast. I wasn’t at that game, but I was told by multiple people there they had a great atmosphere and were loud.