It’s time to survey the race for the Desert Valley League title now that we’ve reached the midpoint of the high school football season. But it’s hard to pick a favorite since every team has stumbled out of the blocks.

The league’s three perennial powers are a combined 3-11. Palm Springs is 3-2, but it has lost two consecutive games. La Quinta is 0-5 for the second time in school history. Palm Desert is 0-4, but should defeat San Bernardino next week.

Can Cathedral City, Coachella Valley or Indio take advantage of what seems like an opening? Well, these three teams have had their ups and downs to start the season as well, and they haven’t played as challenging of a schedule as La Quinta, Palm Springs or Palm Desert. Cathedral City is 2-2, with victories over Vista del Lago and Desert Mirage, but its defense had trouble stopping West Valley and Banning. Coachella Valley is 1-3, and Indio is 1-4.

I don’t know how to handicap the race, especially after watching Palm Springs and La Quinta both struggle this week. It’s been a sluggish start to the season, to say the least, but that doesn’t mean a team won’t decide to surge ahead during DVL play. In this unpredictable season, it’s most prudent to expect something out of the ordinary.