ARLINGTON -- Port Neches-Groves senior kicker Gino Oceguera taking home Offensive MVP honors for his state championship-record four made field goal proved once and for all PNG could indeed field goal two-time title defender South Oak Cliff to death. PNG won the Class 5A DII State Championship 20-17, the program's first since 1975.

Oceguera's final make came with 5:48 remaining in the fourth quarter and cut SOC's lead to 17-12. PNG head coach Jeff Joseph stole a possession with a successful onside kick. Then, the Indians reached the red zone for the fifth time. 

South Oak Cliff's vaunted "Death Row" defense had bent, but they'd tightened up in the red zone every time PNG quarterback Connor Bailey got his team within striking distance. PNG opened the game with a 9-play, 60-yard drive, then a 14-play, 72-yard drive with two successful fourth down conversions, and was gifted a fumble recovery on SOC's 19-yard-line. All three chances ended in Oceguera field goals. 

But the final battle will live in state championship lore for PNG's resilence and SOC's devastating penalties.

On 3rd-and-goal from 11 yards out, Bailey threw a combeback route that was broken up by SOC senior cornerback Kerry Williams. It appeared PNG would have one more shot to win it, until the yellow laundry flew in to signal a pass interference on Williams. SOC junior linebacker Jayden Shelton then stuffed PNG's ensuing third down attempt from three yards away, but the Golden Bears were penalized for being offsides. Given a third opportunity, PNG wide receiver Shea Adams took the direct snap and pranced into the endzone from two yards out.

South Oak Cliff's offense had one final drive and three timeouts to salvage a day it'd like to forget, but PNG junior defensive linemen Andres Fuentes would not be denied.

Fuentes forced a sack fumble on SOC senior quarterback WIlliam Little to put the Golden Bears behind the eight-ball at 3rd-and-14. And ensuing false start pushed them back to 3rd-and-19, and Fuentes again sacked Little to put SOC at an impossible 4th-and-26. 

PNG's defense held SOC's offense to 162 yards of total offense and won the battle at the line of scrimmage, sacking Little four times and forcing two fumbles. Junior linebacker Max Scroggs finished tied for the team lead with eight tackles and was awarded the game's Defensive MVP.

For South Oak Cliff, a miraculous season that saw them extend their playoff win streak to 17 games and make a third-consecutive trip to AT&T Stadium after graduating almost an entire defense of Power Five players ended in gut-wrenching fashion.