Imperial Tigers flag capture CIF-SDS Division 4 championship with 31-0 win over Oceanside

CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KMYA) - The Imperial Tigers are Division 4 champions after shutting out Oceanside 31-0 to claim the championship Saturday.

Imperial entered the title game as the No. 6 seed, carrying plenty of momentum after dominant victories through the first three rounds of the playoffs.

The Tigers wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, using their signature lateral play to catch Oceanside off guard. Julissa Romo connected with Aryssa Hellum, who lateraled to Addison Clark. The senior found open space down the sideline and took it all the way for the opening touchdown.

Romo added another scoring connection, finding Gabriela Islas in the end zone to give Imperial a 13-0 advantage.

After keeping Oceanside off the scoreboard heading into halftime, the Tigers continued their offensive momentum in the third quarter. Romo connected with Cienna Alvarez for another touchdown before Imperial went back to its signature lateral play, with Clark finding the end zone for the second time.

Imperial head coach Victor Cruz Jr. credited the team's challenging regular-season schedule for preparing the Tigers for their postseason run.

“Definitely playing the higher-ranked teams, faster, you know, the higher level of speed, the more athletic girls definitely prepared us for Division 4. I think our offense finally caught its stride. We're able to mesh and gel on offense, and then defensively we kind of finally saw the whole picture and we're able to put it all together,” Cruz said.

The Tigers finished their playoff run outscoring opponents 175-19, capping it off with a championship shutout.

Imperial now awaits its next opponent as it prepares for the next stage of postseason play Tuesday.