Photo courtesy of Dallas ISD
It was a “hard pill to swallow” Saturday as Port Neches-Grove’s state championship win shut the door on South Oak Cliff High School’s search for a championship 3-peat. The game finished with a score of 20-17, PNG.
A late pass interference penalty on the Golden Bears that set up PNG’s winning touchdown left many South Oak Cliff fans bewildered and angry. South Oak Cliff head coach Jason Todd told the Dallas Morning News he felt several calls in the game were “questionable.”
“PNG — they do a great job. To take nothing away from them, but I really want to watch the film,” Todd said.
Saturday’s game was a rematch between the teams, who faced off in the 2022 state championship where the Golden Bears claimed a 34-24 victory in the Class 5A Division II championship.
2021’s state championship win was the first for a Dallas ISD school since the 1950s, and the competitive hunt for three consecutive wins left Todd feeling that South Oak Cliff’s journey is one of the greatest stories in Texas high school football history.
“This is the first (three-peat hopeful) that comes from a multiple school district,” Todd told the Morning News. “Dealing with inner city kids who a lot of people said ‘They weren’t smart enough, don’t have enough discipline. They’re not well-coached enough.’”
Only 19 schools have ever completed a consecutive “3-peat” championship win. South Oak Cliff would have been the fifth Dallas-area team and first Dallas ISD team to do so.
Still, Saturday’s loss will not take away what the Golden Bears accomplished with their 2021 win, or their 2022 win for which they were recognized at the Texas State Capitol.
