ARLINGTON — The South Oak Cliff High School football team’s bid for a third consecutive state championship fell short with a 20-17 loss to Port Neches-Groves in the UIL 5A Division II state championship game at AT&T Stadium on Saturday.
The Golden Bears led for most of the game, but an onside kick recovery and a late touchdown gave Port Neches-Groves the lead, and South Oak Cliff’s historic run ended as it failed to convert a long fourth down in the final minute.
“We fought, came up a little short today, but I’m still proud of those kids and proud of the coaches,” South Oak Cliff head coach Jason Todd told the media postgame.
Port Neches-Groves routinely drove deep into South Oak Cliff territory throughout the game but was met with a stifling defensive effort each time, including the game’s opening drive as it took an early 3-0 lead.
South Oak Cliff answered quickly, as a kickoff return set the Golden Bears up on the Port Neches-Groves side of the field, and senior running back Danny Green finished the drive with a three-yard touchdown run to take a 7-3 lead.
Port Neches-Groves reclaimed a 9-7 lead with a field goal late in the second quarter as the South Oak Cliff defense stood firm after a turnover, and the offense came up with a late field goal to take a 10-9 lead at the break.
The defensive battle continued in the second half, where South Oak Cliff had excelled all season. Green broke free for a 44-yard touchdown run to increase the South Oak Cliff lead to eight with 5:17 remaining in the third quarter as South Oak Cliff threatened to pull away.
Yet, Port Neches-Groves found ways to flip the script and win the game in the fourth quarter.
Trailing by five with time dwindling, the Indians followed their fourth field goal with an onside kick. The gamble paid off, as they recovered the ball at the South Oak Cliff 48-yard line, and, after a couple of penalties, Shea Adams finally found the end zone to give Port Neches-Groves its first lead of the second half.
“Because we didn’t have a lot of possessions, not recovering the outside kick really was one thing that hurt us a lot,” Todd explained. “We got our defense to play a pretty dominant game. There was some stuff to deal with in other areas in regards to the game. … We just fell a little short. That happens sometimes when you don’t put people away.”
The Indians led by three with 3:26 remaining as South Oak Cliff began its last effort. After a couple of quick gains on the ground, South Oak Cliff faced a fourth-and-one to keep its hopes alive. Green picked up the first down, but the Golden Bears quickly found themselves in a fourth-and-26 situation with 24 seconds remaining and could not convert as attempts to lateral the ball hit the ground, and Port Neches-Groves recovered to win the title.
“Hats off to Coach Joseph and those guys. We knew coming in that was going to be a tough game, and we expected that coming in, and I know those guys have been preparing to get back to this moment, too,” Todd concluded. “… I want to commend both programs, but I want to make sure everybody knows that we’ll be back. South Oak Cliff is not finished. Like I always say, it’s the greatest story ever told in Texas high school history.”
