By Myah Taylor
Dallas Morning News
Reprinted – by Texas Metro News
In what was the programs’ third playoff meeting in the last three years, SOC came out firing on all cylinders.
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NACOGDOCHES — South Oak Cliff wasn’t going to let Port Neches-Groves have this one.
And it felt like that from the start, when Mikail Trotter returned the opening kickoff 76 yards. The run from Trotter kick-started a dominant performance by South Oak Cliff, which beat PNG 56-14 on Friday night at Homer Bryce Stadium in the 5A Division II Region II final, the programs’ third playoff meeting in the last three years.
PNG beat SOC 20-17 in the 5A Division II state title game last season, ending SOC’s bid for a three-peat.
“I felt bad for the older people,” Trotter said, reflecting on the loss. “It was sad looking at them cry.”
In 2022, South Oak Cliff topped Port Neches-Groves 34-24 for its second consecutive state title.
Friday’s rematch wasn’t nearly as close. SOC, leading 35-14 at halftime, scored on each of its first six drives, held PNG to 193 yards of offense and forced two turnovers.
Meanwhile, SOC recorded 442 yards of offense. Senior quarterback Carter Kopecky was 6 of 8 for 151 yards and three touchdowns.
Four different SOC players rushed for scores on Friday and three caught touchdown passes.
Damond Williams, who had five carries for 73 yards and two touchdowns, and Trotter, who had 10 carries for 79 yards and a score, led the team in rushing.
Reggie McNeal led SOC’s receivers with two catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.
“We had a lot of motivation and we came out and played a South Oak Cliff game of football,” said SOC coach Jason Todd, who mentioned that coaches played the PNG fight song throughout practice and over the summer as extra fuel.
SOC, which made its fourth straight regional final appearance, will play Argyle next week in the 5A Division II state semifinals. Argyle and South Oak Cliff last met in the state semifinals in 2022, when SOC won the contest 14-6 to advance to its second straight state championship.
“This means a lot to us, too,” Trotter said about facing Argyle. “Just like this game, we’re going to prepare the same way.”
In 2021, SOC became the first Dallas Independent School District football team since 1958 to win a recognized state championship. The team seeks its third in program history this season.
After Trotter’s opening kickoff return, SOC quickly scored on a 13-yard pass from Kopecky to Torrin Teague. By the 10:51 mark of the first quarter, SOC led PNG 14-0. And with just under five minutes left in the opening period, SOC enjoyed a 21-7 lead.
PNG scored its last points of the game with 7:18 remaining in the second quarter, when Tyson Henry rushed for a 6-yard touchdown. SOC went on to score 35 unanswered points.
South Oak Cliff went undefeated in District 5-5AII play after playing a tough nondistrict schedule that included matchups with defending 6A Division I state champion Duncanville, state power Longview and last year’s 6A Division I state runner-up Galena Park North Shore.
Last year ended in heartbreak for SOC. Port Neches-Groves finally broke through a suffocating red-zone defense and scored a late touchdown to win the 5A Division II title. PNG rallied from a 17-9 third-quarter deficit and took the lead with 3:32 remaining.
“We had to kind of get a redemption this year,” Todd said. “Even though it doesn’t heal last year’s wounds, it does make this year feel a lot better.”
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas. |
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