Features & Interviews

Moreno Valley enters 2026 with more than one headline program. Valley View is the defending CIF-SS Division 11 champion. Moreno Valley High has stacked winning seasons. Canyon Springs has 17 wins in two years. Rancho Verde has a championship builder with city roots. Vista del Lago is drawing national attention while developing talent at home. Coaching, football IQ and athletic ability are spread across the city — and that should make this season special.

When Mike Tuohy took over Vista del Lago, the Ravens were coming off back-to-back 0-10 seasons. His first team improved to 4-6. His second went 10-3. Since 2019, Vista has posted a winning record every season, including three straight 9-4 years from 2021 through 2023. The program has climbed from Division 14 to Division 7, developed young stars early and turned winning from a hope into an expectation.

Kyle McFadden was introduced as Canyon Springs’ new head football coach in 2021. The early years demanded patience, but the breakthrough has been real: after three straight 4-6 seasons, the Cougars surged to 9-3 in 2024 and followed with an 8-2 season in 2025. That is 17 wins over two years. Now entering 2026, Canyon Springs looks like a program that has moved from rebuilding to expecting to win.

Eric Zomalt’s return to Rancho Verde carries more weight than a coaching change. He is a Moreno Valley product who played at Canyon Springs, starred at Cal, reached the NFL, won championships as a head coach and chose to pour that experience back into young people in the city that helped shape him. Now leading Rancho Verde, Zomalt brings credibility, championship standards and a deeply local connection to a Mustang program looking to rise again.

Eric Martinez arrived at Valley View in 2024 and changed the trajectory quickly. The Eagles improved from 4-6 before his arrival to 7-5 in his first season, then exploded to 9-6 in 2025 and captured the CIF Southern Section Division 11 championship. CIF-SS named Martinez the Division 11 Championship Coach. Now Valley View enters 2026 as a defending champion with a program identity, postseason proof and expectations that did not exist two years ago.

When Ben Benitez took over Moreno Valley High School football in 2023, the Vikings finished 2-8. Two seasons later, the program had posted back-to-back 8-3 records, gone 5-0 in league play in 2024, finished first again in 2025, and returned to the CIF Southern Section playoffs in consecutive seasons. Heading into 2026, the numbers tell a clear story: Moreno Valley football has been rebuilt into a program that expects to compete.

Josiah Dupree-Boyd took over Vista del Lago’s varsity offense as a freshman and immediately changed the conversation around quarterback play in Moreno Valley. Now a true junior, J5 enters 2026 as a four-star national recruit with 4,672 passing yards and 42 passing touchdowns across his first two varsity seasons, plus a sophomore year that added 462 rushing yards and nine scores. The city watched him arrive. Now the country is watching too.

Moreno Valley, CA — In a moment that meant more than just football, Quintin Hale returned home to Moreno Valley, stepping back onto the same ground where his journey began — not as a player this time, but as a mentor, a leader, and a symbol of what’s possible. Now a USC commit, Hale has taken his game to the next level, but what made this moment special wasn’t where he’s going — it was where he came back to. Instead of simply focusing on his future, Hale chose to invest in th

By Valley Life 247Sports When the lights hit the field at Vista Del Lago, the Ravens don’t just play football — they perform. The crowd rises.The band locks in.The players take the field. And then you hear it. The voices.The rhythm.The energy. That’s Vista Del Lago Cheer — the soul of every Friday night. They don’t just cheer for the Ravens.They fuel them. Energy That Changes the Game From the opening kickoff to the final whistle, Vista Del Lago Cheer controls the atmosphere.

By Zapora Sap Impact Award Feature The room was already full of noise when Coach Moe began to speak. But then he said a name, and the room changed. There was a shift in the air a collective pause as if every person in attendance felt what was coming before they fully understood it. Coach Moe spoke not of stadiums or scores, not of championships or banners, but of a man he had met who loved Moreno Valley as deeply as he did, a man who believed in the city not for what it is no

By Valley Life 247Sports Staff Some coaches win games.Some coaches build programs. Coach Ben Benitez changed a city. Over the last two years, he has become one of the most talked-about coaches not just in Moreno Valley — but across Southern California. What he has done with his program belongs in the record books, but what he has done for young men belongs in the hall of impact. He didn’t just out-coach the league.He rewrote the narrative. FROM DOUBT TO DOMINANCE For years, M

Moreno Valley Falcons By Valley Life 247Sports Staff Championship teams are built with plays.Championship cultures are built with people. This season, the heart behind one of the city’s most respected youth programs was Coach Chris — named 13U Coach of the Year for his leadership with the Moreno Valley Falcons. Currently a coach at Rancho Verde High School, Coach Chris has become a powerful voice in youth sports across the city. His impact stretches far beyond wins and losses

By Valley Life 247Sports Staff This season, Ezekiel Overstreet earned the title of 13U Offensive Lineman of the Year by doing something that often goes unnoticed in youth football — he became a true student of the game. Ezekiel accepted the challenge placed in front of him each week. Whether it was learning a new assignment, correcting a technique, or adjusting to a tougher matchup, he showed a willingness to grow and improve. He approached every practice and every game with

Coach Javon is the Moreno Valley Coach of the Year after transforming a struggling program into a CIF champion. His name appeared in over 1,600 votes and across multiple categories. Under his leadership, the team scored 203 points in 7 games after averaging just 6 the year before. He brought Moreno Valley talent to Perris, built a winning culture, and changed the future of the program.