Palo Verde’s flag football team swung the momentum in the Class 5A state championship game back in its favor with a tying touchdown at the end of the third quarter.

Madeline West helped Palo Verde begin to pull away on the first play of the fourth quarter.

West returned an interception more than 25 yards for a touchdown, and top-seeded Palo Verde never looked back in defeating No. 3 Desert Oasis 30-12 to win the 5A state title Thursday night at Allegiant Stadium.

Palo Verde (22-2) collected five interceptions in earning its first state championship. The Panthers had won a Clark County School District title in 2013 before the sport was officially sanctioned by the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association.

In last year’s 5A title game, Palo Verde lost 19-2 at Shadow Ridge in the rain. This year, the Panthers basked in celebration under the bright lights of Allegiant Stadium.

“The kids, since that day, were just wanting to get back here,” Palo Verde coach Rick Eurich said. “They were all juniors for the most part last year, and they’re all seniors this year. This was their ultimate goal, was to get back here.”

Yolana Huff completed 10 of 16 passes for 177 yards and threw three touchdown passes, all to Alexis Manzo. Samantha Manzo had a touchdown pass and an interception on defense.

“It’s really good to get that moment back and end on a high note against a good team like (Desert Oasis),” Alexis Manzo said, referring to last year’s loss in the state title game. “I really think our defense helped us against this passing team. It was really good that we got to lock in and get it back.”

Once Palo Verde took the lead over Desert Oasis (22-3), the Panthers kept control in the fourth quarter. Leading 18-12, Huff added a 2-yard score to Alexis Manzo on fourth down.

After Akemi Higa threw her fifth interception late in the fourth quarter, Huff and Alexis Manzo connected again on a 2-yard pass for Palo Verde’s final points.

“Our offense does enough to win games. Our defense has pretty much been the backbone of the team,” Eurich said. “We take pride (in our defense). This team that we played usually scores 30, 40, 50 points on teams, so to hold them to a 12-point game, it’s phenomenal. Defense wins championships.”

Alexis Manzo finished with 66 receiving yards, and Samantha Manzo added 53 rushing yards. The Manzo sisters, twin seniors, were instrumental in leading the Panthers back to the title game.

“It feels surreal right now, but it’s crazy because I’ve been dreaming about this since freshman year and we just won state,” Alexis Manzo said. “It’s really cool. We bounced back from our mistakes. We really ride together as a team. We really wanted it in the end.”

Palo Verde used its defense to help get on the scoreboard first when Arden Petkewich picked off Higa with Desert Oasis deep in its own territory and returned the interception to the 4-yard line.

Four plays later, Samantha Manzo connected with Alexis Lunkwitz on a 4-yard score to give Palo Verde a 6-0 lead midway through the first quarter after a missed extra point attempt.

Desert Oasis answered on its next possession. On fourth down, Higa found Johnna Waldahl on a 4-yard touchdown pass, and the score remained tied 6-6 after the Diamondbacks missed their extra point try.

Both defenses stood tall in the second quarter. First, Desert Oasis stopped Samantha Manzo a yard short of the end zone early in the second quarter.

Then Palo Verde kept Higa out of the end zone when Petkewich pulled her flag a yard short on a fourth-down quarterback scramble. That kept the score at 6-6 going into halftime.

Higa completed 19 of 23 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown. Akiko Higa had an interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter for the Diamondbacks.

Contact Alex Wright at [email protected]. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.