After beating their Liberty Hill counterpart on Saturday in the Class 5A Division II title game at AT&T Stadium, South Oak Cliff’s Golden Bears were honored with a victory parade on their return with the championship trophy.
Since the late 1950s, no Dallas ISD school has won a state championship, but the Golden Bears from South Oak Cliff High School ended the trend with their victory on Saturday.
Tuesday’s victory parade was made up of a procession of the players, the school’s band, dance teams, sports cars, and police and fire units. The parade began near Ledbetter Drive and Marsalis Avenue and ended at the high school’s football field.
Ferelle Woodhouse, a team supporter, told FOX 4 News that the celebration was necessary because “it’s going to bring a lot of positive energy to the community.”
Dallas ISD’s athletic director Silvia Salinas said the victory meant pride, unity, and hope to her.
“We have a lot of folks and a lot of kids looking up to these players and these coaches,” Salinas told FOX 4 in an interview. “I think it clears up the doubt that a lot of folks had about Dallas ISD in athletics particularly, that, just believing that we could do it, and we did it and proved them wrong.”
Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa spoke of his pride in the community and all those connected to the team.
“You need to be proud of everywhere you’re from, especially if you’re from South Oak Cliff,” Hinojosa said.
Amidst the celebrations and fanfare, Head Coach Jason Todd is already setting his sights on next year’s championships.
“We’re going to be back because we’re going to put in the work to be back,” said Todd. “We’re not satisfied.”
The Dallas Cowboys are also planning to recognize the players at their game on Sunday against Washington, according to FOX 4 News.
