Both teams traded momentum swings throughout with Cypress appearing to seize control late before Irvine Valley delivered a memorable finish to claim the inaugural OEC Tournament crown.
Irvine Valley struck first taking a 7-0 lead at 5:10 in the first quarter on a pass by sophomore quarterback Akayla Chaple to freshman Maia Helmar.
Cypress answered back at 7:47 in the second behind quarterback Maddy Banks, who connected with Devoni Ray on a touchdown pass before finding Mia Cabral for the conversion to even the score at 7-7.
The Chargers struck again at 3:18 in the second when Banks orchestrated another scoring drive connecting with Lelani Lito to set up Cabral's second touchdown of the game. The PAT failed, however Cypress owned a 13-7 lead.
The Lasers came roaring down the field with time running out int the first half, but Michea Wells came up with a critical interception for the Chargers near the red zone putting a stop to the IVC threat. Cypress headed into halftime with the lead.
Irvine Valley came into the second half with renewed energy and scored on a touchdown on a toss from Chaple to sophomore Allison Faggella at 6:51 in the third taking a 14-13 advantage.
Cypress responded once again in four minutes later when Banks found Lito for a touchdown followed by another conversion pass to Cabral putting the Chargers back in front 20-14 entering the fourth.
The Chargers added another score to start the fourth when Banks hit Ray on a deep ball to set up another Cabral touchdown.
A successful PAT connection to Melony Bernabe gave the Chargers a 27-14 cushion, and Wells added her second interception of the game to keep momentum on Cypress' side.
But the Lasers stayed focused and ready to strike.
IVC mounted a furious rally, scoring three touchdowns in the final minutes.
Chaple got the rally started with a touchdown pass with 1:30 left in the game.
A pivotal interception returned for a touchdown at 1:18 gave the Lasers light at the end of the tunnel, despite a failed PAT.
With time ticking off the clock, Irvine Valley managed to pull out a much-needed defensive stop and got the ball back with less than a minute left in regulation.
Chaple led the charge as the Lasers pulled off the winning touchdown on a rushing score giving the team a dramatic 32-27 victory.
Both teams will share the Orange Empire Conference title as both teams finished the regular season with 4-2 OEC records.
The OEC Tournament Championship trophy belongs to Irvine Valley.
2026 ALL-ORANGE EMPIRE CONFERENCE TEAM
OEC MVP: Maia Helmar, IVC
Defensive Player of the Year: Devoni Ray, CYP
OEC Coach of the Year: Sami Logan, IVC
1st Team - Offense
Akayla Chaple, IVC
Allison Faggella, IVC
Marisol Gongora, IVC
Lelani Lito, CYP
Mia Cabral, CYP
Emma Farias, CYP
2nd Team - Offense
Maya McKenna, IVC
Crystal Cervantes, IVC
Emily Harris, IVC
Melony Bernabe, CYP
Maddy Banks, CYP
Alisa Kangas, CYP
1st Team - Defense
Sara Johnston, IVC
Allison Faggella, IVC
Emily Harris, IVC
Lelani Lito, CYP
Michea Wells, CYP
Alisa Kangas, CYP
2nd Team - Defense
Maya McKenna, IVC
Marisol Gongora, IVC
Berlin Barraza, IVC
Richelle Rorick, CYP
Sara Gonzalez, CYP
Cami Flewellen, CYP
Story by Phil Thurman, Fullerton College
Photo courtesy of Jesus Martinez
