The stage is set for the 2023 High School Football state championship, and the South Oak Cliff Golden Bears are in the hunt for a three-peat.
Last year’s team made history, becoming the first school in DISD to win two consecutive football state championships after felling the Port Neches-Grove Indians 34-24.
On Saturday, Dec. 16, SOC will rematch the Indians for the 5A Div. II 2023 title.
“I love the rematch factor,” SOC head coach Jason Todd told the Dallas Morning News. “I think us having the chance to win three as a program, it speaks wonders for the staff, the kids, the culture. I think it speaks a lot for inner city football. At the end of the day, we’re going for three.”
The championship games will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and will be broadcast on Bally Sports Southwest. Tickets to each day’s games are $20.
The Golden Bears are entering the game with a 13-2 season record, while Port Neches-Grove stands at 14-1. In 2022, South Oak Cliff became the first three loss team to win the state championship since 2019, when Mart won the 2A Div. II championship.
Port Neches-Grove Quarterback Shea Adams told the Beaumont Enterprise that the South Texas school has “unfinished business” with the Golden Bears.
“South Oak Cliff has a great program and they’ll be a great challenge for us again,” Indians head coach Jeff Joseph said.
Only 19 schools have ever completed a consecutive “three-peat” championship win. If South Oak Cliff pulls off the feat, they will become the fifth Dallas-area team and first Dallas ISD team to do so.
