South Oak Cliff Makes It Three Titles in Five Years

Golden Bears Avenge Last Year's Loss To Richmond Randle

"It was good to get the monkey off our back," Head Coach Jason Todd said. Although South Oak Cliff had made the state championship game five years in a row, the Golden Bears had lost their previous two games. Last year's loss to Richmond Randle in the 5A-D2 championship especially stung.  In that game, the Golden Bears lost a dramatic 38-35 contest to the Richmond Randle Lions. South Oak Cliff was ahead 35-31 but allowed Randle to  return a kick return for the game winning touchdown. "(The loss) lit a huge fire... It was unacceptable," guard Brison Brooks said. "We had the game won, and then we gave up that touchdown run," linebacker Jemarion Phillips said. This year, the Golden Bears got their revenge. Behind a physically dominant effort, the Golden Bears defeated the Lions for their third state title.

Offensively, the Golden Bears ran it down the Lions' throats. Running back and offensive MVP Mikail Trotter rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver/running back Torrin Teague also had 58 yards rushing and one touchdown along with a receiving touchdown. Quarterback Jayden Williams threw for 89 yards and a touchdown.

On defense, the Golden Bears set the tone early. Safety Xavier Mayfield returned an interception on the Lions' opening drive to the Randle 20. The interception set up the pass from Williams to Teague. The defense also contained Randle's star running back Landon Williams-Callis. While Williams-Callis rushed for 121 yards, he only found the end zone once. The Golden Bears' defense totaled 75 tackles (including 29 solo,) two sacks, eight tackles for loss, and two interceptions.

After the game, Coach Todd and his players talked about the culture they had established. Todd said the journey to three state titles took, "A lot of hard work, a lot of perseverance, and a lot of commitment." Regarding the resources to build the program, Todd said, "It's not about the money. It's about the work you put in." For Coach Todd, that work begins now because he said that he was already thinking about how to get back to the championship game next  year.