Desert Oasis pulls off upset to reach flag football title game — PHOTOS

Desert Oasis defeated Shadow Ridge, winners of the previous three state titles, on the road 20-0 in a semifinal matchup Thursday while battling the elements.

“To be the champ, you got to beat the champ,” Desert Oasis coach Todd Thomson said. “Tonight was a challenge that we’ve been talking about, and the girls really embraced it.”

Both teams struggled to move the ball with rain coming down the entirety of the game. Shadow Ridge (19-4) finished with 145 yards of offense. Desert Oasis (22-2) was held to 86 yards in the first half. Snaps were fumbled and passes were dropped.

The Diamondbacks took a 7-0 lead with three minutes remaining in the second quarter thanks to a pick-6 from junior Akemi Higa. Their defense has been inconsistent, but it was massive Thursday.

“Our defense has been up and down all year,” Thomson said. “We’ve been challenging them for a while now, and tonight they lived up to it.”

Desert Oasis put the game out of reach after halftime.

Higa threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to her sister, Akiko Higa, on the first drive of the third quarter to put the Diamondbacks up 14-0. Shadow Ridge marched down the field the following possession, but Desert Oasis forced a turnover on downs at the 6-yard line.

The Diamondbacks responded the next drive with a 46-yard touchdown pass from Akemi Higa to Akiko Higa. That finished off the upset for Desert Oasis, which will play Palo Verde for the state title.

No. 1 Palo Verde 19, No. 5 Liberty 12: At Palo Verde, Samantha Manzo rushed for 229 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Panthers (21-2) to the state title game.

Manzo scored on runs of 52, 45 and 10 yards. Madeline West recorded eight tackles and an interception on defense for Palo Verde.

Liberty finished 15-5.

The Panthers lost in last year’s state title game to Shadow Ridge. They lost twice to Desert Oasis in the regular season.