Richmond Randle defeated South Oak Cliff 38-35 at AT&T Stadium on Friday after SOC missed a game-tying field goal in the final seconds.
The Golden Bears fell short for the second straight year in their fourth consecutive trip to the state championship title game.
SOC dominated the stat sheet, outgaining Randle 462-212, but special teams’ struggles ultimately gave Randle the upper hand.
SOC trailed by 10 points at halftime, but rallied back as running back Mikail Trotter took the first play from scrimmage in the second half 75 yards for a touchdown.
On the Golden Bears’ next drive, Damond Williams ran for an 85-yard score to give South Oak Cliff the lead.
The game was then back and forth until Randle’s Sean Smith ran back the team’s second kickoff return for a touchdown, putting the Lions up 38-35.
SOC missed a game-tying 44-yard field goal as time expired.
The Golden Bears won the state title in 2021-22 and 2022-23 season, but lost in last year’s title game to Port Neches-Groves.
