As the final seconds ticked down, Bishop’s senior Lotte Lightner clasped the hand of a teammate on the bench and then bounced up to cheer.
It was time to celebrate the Knights’ eighth straight Open Division championship, achieved with a 13-7 triumph over Valhalla at La Jolla High School’s Coggan Pool on Saturday night.
Lightner scored four goals to lead a balanced offense before Bishop’s substituted liberally in the closing minutes.
“This is so exciting, all four years for me,” Lightner said. “It’s so amazing. This is my favorite team. We deserved this so much since we worked so hard for it.”
It was also the 15th title in 16 years for the Knights (21-8), who outscored their three playoff foes 58-13 overall.
Second-seeded Valhalla (23-7) fell in its first Open Division final.
In the first period, Bishop’s took a 5-2 lead, with five players scoring. To cap matters, Aileen Shin connected from near mid-pool with one second left. Lightner had three of her goals in the first half as the Knights extended their lead to 9-3. Junior Farren Moss added three goals for Bishop’s.
Helix’s Lauren Strocco blocks a goal from Mission Bay during the CIF Division 1 championships at Coggan Family Aquatic Complex in La Jolla on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. Helix defeated Mission Bay 10-3. (Kristian Carreon / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Division 1
In the spirit of the Highlanders, Helix High School senior Delise Jartu played bagpipes in a Scottish outfit before the game.
Then her schoolmates were right in tune in the pool to claim their first championship.
Senior goalie Lauren Strocco made 15 saves to go with a balanced attack as top-seeded Helix overpowered Mission Bay 10-3 in the CIF-San Diego Section Division 1 girls water final at La Jolla High’s Coggan Aquatic Center on Saturday.
“This means so much,” Strocco said. We’ve all worked so hard together and communicated as a team. It’s like a family.”
Strocco set the tone with nine saves in the first half while Helix (17-12) got in gear for a 5-0 run that resulted in an 8-2 lead with 4:45 left in the third quarter.
“I had my team with me, and I was having fun,” said Strocco, a second-year starter.
Rachel Powers and Avery Mann each scored three goals for the Highlanders, who lost their playoff opener in the Open Division last year.
No. 3 Mission Bay (19-10) played in its second straight final with a move from D-2 this season.
Division 2
After two one-goal victories to reach the finals, Coronado freshman Audrey Roberts and her teammates used a late surge to avoid another close call.
The top-seeded Islanders first saw a four-goal lead disappear but then responded with four straight goals to take control for an 11-8 victory over Francis Parker and their fourth title in five years.
Roberts scored to break a 6-6 tie and tallied again during the surge the produced a 10-6 advantage with 4:09 to go. The other two goals then came from Isabella Kenney.
“We definitely all took a deep breath,” said Roberts, who finished with four goals. “We said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this. Let’s take back our game.’ ”
Barleri Garces contributed three first-half goals for Coronado (20-7). No. 3 Parker (15-11) received three goals each from Pasha Mason and Olivia Brennan.
“I’m so proud of my team,” said Roberts, a left-handed sharpshooter. “I’m so grateful for everyone on the team, how kind and amazing they are.
Both schools moved from Division 1 this season.
Division 3
If it wasn’t Phoebe Dummer scoring for Scripps Ranch, it was her younger sister, Hope.
The Dummer sisters each recorded three goals to lift the third-seeded Falcons past No. 1 Classical 6-4 for their school’s first championship.
“It’s super cool,” said Phoebe Dummer, a sophomore, whose last goal with 1:27 left helped secure the victory. “Our team has been working really hard, and we really wanted the win.”
Scripps Ranch (18-6) survived a fourth-quarter comeback by Caimans (17-9), who registered three straight goals to close within 5-4 with 2:28 to go.
In a first-half highlight, Phoebe Dummer stole the ball at mid-poll and outraced two defenders to score for a 4-1 lead with 27 seconds left.
Hope Dummer, a freshman, added the only goal of the third period.
“It’s fun playing together (as sisters),” Phoebe Dummer said. “We really now how each other works.”
Sabina Schelhorn had two goals to lead Classical, which was denied its second title in three years.
Scripps Ranch appeared in its first final since 2016 in D-2
Both schools dropped from Division 2 this season.
Open Division, fifth-place game
Lila Wartain scored eight to spark Carlsbad as the sixth-seeded Lancers topped No. 4 San Marcos 14-7 for the last local berth in the Southern California regional tourney.
Carlsbad (14-9) built a 9-3 halftime lead over San Marcos (19-10).
Also advancing to the regionals are the four Open Division semifinalists and the three other division champions.