CIF Semifinals: Huntington Beach Advances to Play No. 1 JSerra

The CIF Southern Section is in its third year of running girls' flag football playoffs. Huntington Beach has advanced to the semifinals in the top division during each of those seasons. The Oilers earned their ticket again on Wednesday night with a 25-6 victory over Mater Dei.

Huntington Beach, Mater Dei, and Lakewood St. Joseph all finished Pool D with 1-1 records. The Oilers advanced based on point differential. They now face No. 4 seed status against the top-ranked team in the country.

The next match is against JSerra, who is 26-0 and has won 54 straight games. The semifinal is scheduled for Saturday at JSerra's home field.

Coach Zack Pannell described JSerra as having a great coaching staff and phenomenal players. He told his team that this is the matchup they want. "To see them in the semifinals, at the top of the top, it doesn't get any better than that," Pannell said. He emphasized that the team must execute on both sides of the ball to have a chance.

The path to this game involved a narrow loss to St. Joseph on Oct. 21. Huntington Beach lost 27-26 in its CIF opener. St. Joseph defeated Mater Dei 19-14 three days later, which kept the Oilers' season alive despite the earlier loss.

Senior quarterback Roxie Shaia threw three touchdown passes in the win against Mater Dei. Her receivers were senior Shelby Nguyen, junior Daisy Quatman, and senior Brianna Massion. Six Oilers had multiple receptions, including sophomore Kayden Foley, freshman Kyla Uno, and junior Teagan Goodgame.

Goodgame caught a key third-down pass in the fourth quarter to set up the final score. That play led to a 9-yard sweep by Uno. Shaia noted that she can rely on all her receivers, not just specific ones, which gives her confidence when throwing the ball.

The defense limited Mater Dei to one touchdown pass from Tymane Allen to Allyson Schmida. Massion intercepted the ball on the Monarchs' first drive. Junior Isla Castillo also recorded an interception. Rushers Mia Aish and Olivia Quick provided pressure throughout the game.

Massion, nicknamed Dennis Rodman by the team, was flagged for trash talk after her 11-yard touchdown catch. She barked at the fallen defender, saying, "Let's go, come on!" Massion believes that the team's high energy and hype intimidate opponents.

Huntington Beach lost to Orange Lutheran in the semifinals last year and to Newport Harbor in 2024. Senior Shelby Nguyen said it is time to break that curse. "The third time is the charm," she said.