When the Higa twins take the field for Desert Oasis, their connection often feels telepathic. That bond was never more evident than during the gold-medal game of this summer’s Junior International Cup, where Akemi Higa found her sister Akiko for a game-winning touchdown in the final minute to lift the USA 17-U girls flag football team past Mexico.
“Akiko just saw Akemi in trouble from the rush and just changed her route to whatever she changed it to,” said Todd Thomson, their high school and club coach. “She just had that sense, and Akemi had that sense, ‘I know where my sister’s going to be.'”
The seniors now aim to lead the Diamondbacks (19-2) to a Class 5A state title. As the No. 3 seed, Desert Oasis opens the state quarterfinal against No. 6 SECTA at 4 p.m. Saturday at Desert Oasis.
Entering Friday, Akemi Higa leads the state with 5,482 passing yards and 87 touchdowns. Akiko Higa, the team’s top receiver, has 1,489 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns, plus nine interceptions on defense.
The twins are among the nation’s top youth flag football players. Flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports, with colleges adding programs and the sport set to debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“It’s an honor to be a part of the group that is leading this growth in the sport,” Akemi Higa said. “It’s cool to think about how little me would have loved to see other girls play football, too.”
Akemi and Akiko are committed to Nevada State University, which is playing its first flag football season this spring. They will also try out for the USA national team in March.
“I didn’t think that we’d still be playing together,” Akiko Higa said. “But it’s crazy to see how far we’ve come and how far the sport has grown.”
‘Ran out of opportunities’
The twins, originally from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, started playing flag football at ages 5 and 6. Their mother, Liane, moved the family to Las Vegas in summer 2022 when no opportunities for girls to play flag football existed in Hawaii after age 12.
“That’s when we started talking about their future, because there was no future for football in Hawaii,” Liane Higa said. “We ran out of opportunities.”
Their father, Rod, stayed behind initially but has since joined the family in Las Vegas. “If she didn’t draw that line in the sand and say, ‘Hey, this is what we’re doing,’ we wouldn’t be here today,” Rod Higa said.
‘Goal to win’
In their first season at Desert Oasis, the Diamondbacks won the 4A state title in memory of teammate Ashari Hughes, who died of cardiac arrest on the field. “It pushed us to do it for Ashari. We bonded over that,” Akiko Higa said.
The following year, Akemi set state records for passing yards (7,020) and touchdowns (121) in a season, with many passes going to Akiko, who had 2,569 receiving yards and 74 touchdowns. Last season, Akiko was named 5A South player of the year after leading the state with 2,336 receiving yards and 47 touchdowns. Akemi led the state with 5,848 passing yards and 97 touchdowns.
Desert Oasis lost to Palo Verde in the 2024 state semifinals and in the 2025 state title game. “This is the type of team that wins championships,” Akemi Higa said. “All of us have a goal to win but also a drive to win.”
‘The best of friends’
Akemi holds career records in passing yards (22,476) and touchdowns (371). Akiko’s 147 receiving touchdowns are also a state record. Their mother noted that while the twins can be competitive with each other, “if anybody else were to get involved or say anything about either of them, they just got each other’s backs, no matter what.”
