Port Neches-Groves 20, South Oak Cliff 17

Class 5A-Division II State Championship

December 16, 2023

AT&T Stadium

Arlington, TX

In a rematch of the 2022 5A-Division II state title game Port Neches-Groves avenged their loss to the Golden Bears a year ago with a hard-fought 20-17 win over the two-time defending state champions in front of a crowd of 33,913. It was the first state title for the Indians since 1975.

PNG took the game’s opening kickoff and using a smart mix of high percentage passes and tough running behind their big offensive line took a 3-0 lead on a 32-yard field goal from Gio Oceguera. PNG had a first and goal at the SOC five-yard line but a penalty and sack ended the Indians chances of getting into the end zone and would be a bit of foreshadowing on the rest of the afternoon as the Indians had all kinds of trouble in the red zone.

SOC would get a big kickoff return from Marcell Gipson to set them up in Port Neches-Groves territory and seven plays later RB Danny Green would punch it in from three-yards out to put the Golden Bears up 7-3 with 2:46 left in the first quarter.

Port Neches-Groves’ ball-control offense again would do the trick as the Indians marched 72-yards in fourteen plays taking over eight minutes off the clock but again in the red zone the South Oak Cliff defense locked down, stopping PNG at the four-yard line and forcing the Indians to settle for a chip-shot field goal from Oceguera to cut the Golden Bears lead to 7-6.

On the next series, PNG’s defense would make the first big play of the night as QB William Little was sacked and fumbled and the loose ball was recovered by PNG’s Max Scroggs at the SOC 14. Again, the South Oak Cliff defense in the red zone was up to the task holding the Indians to zero yards in three plays and forcing PNG to settle for another Oceguera field goal to give the Indians 9-7 lead halfway through the second quarter.

South Oak Cliff would grab the lead back right before halftime as the Golden Bears would need 13-plays to go 37 yards as they came away with a 31-yard field goal from Diego Varela right before halftime to take a slim 10-9 lead into the locker room.

After an exchange of punts to open the third quarter South Oak Cliff would extend the lead to 17-9 as the Golden Bears would show a flash of their explosive selves moving 83-yards in just three plays as Little would complete passes to Daveon Ennis and Trey Jackson and then Green would rip off a 44-yard touchdown run to give the white-clad crowd from Dallas something to cheer about.

After another stop by the South Oak Cliff defense the Golden Bears took over on their own 27 with 3:16 left in the third quarter and a chance to seize control of the game. However, PNG’s defense would get a key stop forcing a three and out and sacking Little on third down to force another SOC punt and kept the game at 17-9.

PNG would start on their own 22-yard line after a 57-yard punt from Carter Kopecky, but the Indians would again go on a lengthy drive going 74-yards in thirteen plays and converting a 4th and 7 in the process, but once again the South Oak Cliff defense in the red zone locked down at the six-yard line holding PNG to just a field goal to maintain their 17-12 lead with 7:37 left in the game as the PNG drive spanned the end of the third quarter to the fourth quarter.

Port Neches-Groves then pulled out a trick on special teams with a perfectly executed “hot” onside kick that the Indians recovered at the South Oak Cliff 48. The Indians would quickly seize on the momentum and drive to the South Oak Cliff ten-yard line where they had a first and goal. After two plays and no yards gained facing third and goal SOC was called for a pass interference call in the end zone that was met with strong disagreement from the SOC sidelines and fanbase but it set the Indians up with first an goal at the two-yard line. On third and goal from the three, SOC stopped PNG for a three-yard loss but again a penalty would break PNG’s away as SOC was called for a defensive offsides. Finally on third and goal from the one-yard line Shea Adams would score from a yard out to give the Indians an 18-17 lead. After RB Isaiah Nguyen ran in the two point try, PNG held a 20-17 lead with just over four minutes left in the game.

South Oak Cliff would take over with all three timeouts remaining on their own seventeen yard-line and after picking up two first downs and moving to their own 40-yard line, the Port Neches-Groves defense would pin their ears back with two sacks of Little and on fourth and long the Indians stopped SOC’s desperation lateral play to pull off the upset and the 20-17 win.