Central East back on top with state championship victory over Pacifica in Division I-A
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- Central East rebounded from an early loss and won 13 straight to claim state title.
- Brandon Smith rushed 27 times for 144 yards and three short-yardage touchdowns.
- Defense forced turnover, recorded three sacks and sealed victory with Della interception.
For the first time since 2019, the Central East football team has reclaimed the CIF state championship, defeating Pacifica-Oxnard 42-28 in a Division I-A game at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo on Saturday.
The Bengals’ dream season began with an early setback against Grant-Sacramento in September, but that loss became their motivation.
Central East (14-1) responded by winning 13 straight games, collecting the Tri-River Athletic Conference, Central Section Division I-A, and CIF NorCal regional championships — culminating in a second state crown in program history under head coach Kyle Biggs, now in his 10th season.
Central East avenged last season’s defeat to Edison-Huntington Beach.
“All season, that’s what we worked towards,” Biggs said. “What we geared, everything we did towards is to get our mental focus on the right page and get back to state and finish the job.”
The championship game wasn’t without adversity.
Central East trailed 7-0 early to the Tritons (15-1), but bounced back with Brandon Smith’s 2-yard touchdown run for a 13-7 lead, and a second, 4-yard score for a 20-14 advantage.
Junior quarterback Jelani Dippel found Kevin Cooks for a crucial 38-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Smith, an Arizona commit, capped the scoring with his third touchdown — a 15-yard run —finishing the day with 27 carries for 144 yards.
“Winning state title means a lot to me,” Dippel said. “To be able to come back and win this time and have that feeling is amazing.”
Said Smith: “waking up as a state champion feels great. I knew going into my senior year I wanted to get back to the state game but win it this time. My team had the same goal and we got it done. This could not happen without the big boys up front.”
Central East wide receiver Bayon Harris hauled in 11 receptions for 175 yards and a touchdown.
The Bengals went for it on 4th and 3, and converted on a first down when Dippel connected with Cal-bound EJ Morgan, who made a tough over-the-head catch.
Jontae Della’s interception sealed the victory. The Bengals’ defense also sacked Pacifica’s Taylor Lee three times, forced and recovered a fumble, and limited Lee, who still passed for 317 yards and two touchdowns.
That fumble recovery occurred in the fourth quarter that later led to a Dippel 5-yard run.
With the win, Biggs improves to 107-21 as the Central East head coach.
“Our defense played tremendous,” Biggs said. “They got stops when we needed it, and they got us the ball. They were phenomenal.”
On going for it on fourth down in the fourth quarter, Biggs said “no doubt in my mind we were going for it.”
Biggs knew his team would overcome last season’s state loss. He saw determination prior to the season, even with his tough coaching.
“I tell the kids the truth,” said Biggs, on his players buying into his system. “I don’t hold no punches. I hold them accountable. We push them and drive them to accomplish things that they didn’t think they’re able to. The fact that they’re able to accomplish these things when it comes to whatever they want to do in the real world, they’ve already done something that’s hard. They accomplished it ... that they can do anything they set their mind to.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2025 at 8:09 PM.
