Ilyana Papke-Flores intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown with just over three minutes left, sealing Westridge's 13-6 win over Nogales in the CIF Southern Section Division 5 flag football quarterfinals on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

The victory at Nogales High School sends the Tigers (12–6) to their first flag football semifinal.

Papke-Flores accounted for both Westridge touchdowns. She broke the scoreless deadlock with a 23-yard touchdown run at the end of the third quarter, spinning and slipping past Nogales defenders who appeared to grab her flag more than once on the play, the Pasadena Star-News reported.

Nogales answered when Nathaly Ramirez hauled in a 42-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bella Robles. The Nobles missed the extra point and trailed 7-6 with 9:39 remaining.

Robles passed for 236 yards and a touchdown for Nogales. But with just over three minutes left, Papke-Flores picked her off and returned the interception for a 10-yard touchdown, pushing the lead to 13-6. Westridge's defense held from there, and the Tigers ran out the clock.

"To score two touchdowns means the world to me," Papke-Flores told the Star-News. "We were in the quarterfinals for the first time ever, and we're going to the semifinals for the first time ever."

Westridge coach Daniel Calmeyer said he expected a low-scoring game but trusted his defense.

"We didn't have a lot of information on them," Calmeyer told the Star-News. "They're very good defensively. I knew it was going to come down to a couple missed flags, and which defense was going to miss a flag on a big play."

Calmeyer said the Tigers have leaned on defense all season. "When we're fourth and medium we're fine punting the ball away and relying on our defense," he said. "That's been the story the whole season."

Nogales coach Marcus Rubio was emotional afterward, sharing tears with his players. The Nobles finished their season 18-10.

Westridge travels to Peninsula for the Division 5 semifinal on Friday, Oct. 30, at 5 p.m. Peninsula beat La Sierra 18-8 in its quarterfinal. If the Tigers win, the Division 5 final is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7, at Huntington Beach High.