Photo courtesy of Dallas ISD
The Golden Bears are advancing — again.
After a Friday afternoon, 33-27 overtime win against Midlothian Heritage, South Oak Cliff is one of eight football teams left in the 5A Div. II race to the state championship.
During the game, the defending champions and Midlothian stayed in stride with one another on the score board. An early 3-point lead for Midlothian was overtaken by South Oak Cliff only two minutes later with a 6-point touchdown. By the end of the first, Midlothian had tied the game at 6-6.
At halftime, Midlothian had the game at 13-6, but South Oak Cliff tied it up once again during the third quarter. When Midlothian raised the score to 20-13, South Oak Cliff countered with a 6-yard touchdown pass and extra point of their own, bringing it to the third tie score of the game.
And so this went on through the fourth quarter, where a 27-27 score took the game into overtime.
But while Midlothian started overtime with possession of the ball, a fourth-down incomplete pass put it in the hands of the Golden Bears who were ready to break the tie-streak once and for all.
South Oak Cliff crept across the field, going for three yards, then six, then two, then 13. A final, 1-yard rushing touchdown by Danny Green, and that was that.
South Oak Cliff had the final and most important lead of the game.
With a final score of 33-27, South Oak Cliff’s win was the third playoff game in a row that the team has clinched with six points or less.
Despite the close score, South Oak Cliff dominated several aspects of the game. Whereas the Golden Bears rushed for 305 yards, Midlothian only rushed for 146. And, South Oak Cliff had 21 first downs to Midlothian’s 12.
Texas A&M commit Jayvon Thomas lead the charge with his 217 yards rushing, including 61-yard and 97-yard touchdowns in the first and fourth quarters, respectively.
Green, who scored the final touchdown of the game, rushed for 66 yards.
South Oak Cliff’s passing game did leave something to be desired, with quarterback William Little throwing two interceptions in the fourth quarter. While South Oak Cliff held the rushing advantage, Midlothian took over the passing game, throwing 274 yards compared to South Oak Cliff’s 142.
It is hard to imagine a defending state championship team as being an underdog in the playoff race, but after starting the season with three losses, the Golden Bears have faced a rockier road to the regional playoffs than usual.
In fact, the last time a 3-loss team won the state championship was in 2019, when 2A Div. II Mart pulled off the feat.
Despite their rough start, the triumph over Midlothian is South Oak Cliff’s 10th consecutive win.
And now they are in the regional playoffs, which is followed by the state semis, and then, the Big One.
This Friday, Dec. 2, South Oak Cliff will have a neutral site matchup against the 11-2 Melissa Cardinals. The Cardinals are coming into the game after a dominant 42-21 win over Terrell.
The game will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
