Girls' Flag Football: Huntington Beach advances to CIF semifinals

Huntington Beach secured its third consecutive spot in the CIF Southern Section semifinals for girls' flag football on Wednesday night. The Oilers defeated Mater Dei 25-6 at home in the Open Division. This win marks the third year in a row that Huntington Beach has reached this stage of the playoffs. No other team has accomplished this feat in the top division during the league's three-year run of the sport.

The result concluded a complex pool play scenario for the Oilers. Huntington Beach, Mater Dei, and Lakewood St. Joseph all finished with identical 1-1 records in Pool D. Point differential determined the advancement. Huntington Beach earned the final seed in the pool after its 27-26 loss to St. Joseph on Oct. 21. The Monarchs could have clinched the pool with a win over Mater Dei, but they fell 19-14 to the Visalia-area team three days later. That loss kept Huntington Beach in the tournament despite the earlier defeat.

Senior quarterback Roxie Shaia led the Oilers' offense with three touchdown passes. She connected with senior Shelby Nguyen, junior Daisy Quatman, and senior Brianna Massion. The passing attack was distributed among six different players who recorded multiple receptions. The group also included sophomore Kayden Foley, freshman Kyla Uno, and junior Teagan Goodgame. Goodgame made a critical third-down catch in the fourth quarter. That play set up the game's final score, a 9-yard sweep by Uno.

"It's really great to know that I can rely on each one of my receivers, there's not just specific ones we put trust in," Shaia said. "That one to Teagan was really important for us, and we know that she can catch the ball. For me, knowing that I can throw the ball and all of my receivers can catch is a good feeling."

The Huntington Beach defense limited Mater Dei to a single touchdown. Tymane Allen threw one score to Allyson Schmida. Senior Brianna Massion intercepted Mater Dei on its first drive to establish early momentum. Junior Isla Castillo also recorded an interception. Defensive rushers Mia Aish and Olivia Quick generated pressure throughout the game. Massion scored on an 11-yard reception in the third quarter and was flagged for trash talk afterward. She barked encouragement at the fallen Mater Dei defensive back following the catch.

Coach Zack Pannell noted that Massion's energy brings a unique edge to the team. He compares her persona to former NBA player Dennis Rodman. Massion said the team's internal hype helps intimidate opponents. "If we're going to get hype for each other and cheer for each other, I really think that intimidates them," Massion said. "I just bring that fire, and I think it's really important to the game."

The Oilers face a steep challenge on Saturday. They travel to top-ranked JSerra for the Open Division semifinal. The Lions are the top-ranked team in the country according to MaxPreps.com. They won the Division 1 championship last year and have won 54 consecutive games. Huntington Beach is seeded fourth in the tournament. The Oilers lost in the semifinals to Orange Lutheran last year and to Newport Harbor in 2024.

"They've got a great coaching staff, phenomenal players," Pannell said. "But I told our girls, that's the matchup we want. To see them in the semifinals, at the top of the top, it doesn't get any better than that. We've just got to go in with the same mentality as we did this one. As long as we execute on both sides of the ball, we should be all right."

Senior receiver Shelby Nguyen expressed confidence in the team's ability to overcome the historical difficulty of this round. "It's time to break that curse," Nguyen said. "The third time is the charm."

Other pool play results on Wednesday included Newport Harbor defeating Westlake 14-7 to advance. No. 2 seed Newport Harbor will host Woodbridge on Saturday. Woodbridge upset No. 3 Orange Lutheran 26-20 in overtime to win its pool. JSerra also advanced by defeating Edison 39-7 in Pool A.