ARLINGTON -- To understand how Richmond Randle beat South Oak Cliff 38-35 in the Class 5A Division II State Championship, you have to learn two core maxims in its program.
‘The Mind is Everything. What You Believe, You Become,’ is scrawled on the weight room wall. Randle had to believe they’d be state champions before they became one. South Oak Cliff hasn’t missed a state championship game in four years, which is longer than Randle’s been a varsity program (three seasons).
Another one of head coach Brian Randle’s favorites: ‘We Bully Bullies.’ That’s how Randle’s defense, headlined by Texas A&M signee Chace Sims and Defensive MVP Ryan Mallory, stuffed South Oak Cliff’s two consecutive run plays as time ran down, forcing the Golden Bears to attempt a scramble field goal as the clock expired.
“We’re going to match energy,” Randle said. “We’re not going to allow you to push us around. It’s not going to happen.”
But South Oak Cliff lost the game long before the 45-yard, game tying field goal sailed wide left.
“We didn’t do the normal things that South Oak Cliff does to finish games,” SOC head coach Jason Todd said.
South Oak Cliff lost the game on special teams. Randle’s Sincere Timpson executed a reverse kickoff on the game’s opening play for a house call. South Oak Cliff then muffed a punt to put itself in a 14-0 hole.
Technically, South Oak Cliff bullied Randle in two of the game’s three phases. The Golden Bears outgained Randle 461 to 211 in total yards and rushed for 355. But Randle’s defense bowed up when it mattered most. Down 28-24, Randle forced a punt. Then, linebacker Kerry Pindred intercepted a South Oak Cliff pass to set up the go ahead score.
After South Oak Cliff regained the lead 35-31, the special teams bug bit them again. Wary of giving up another long kickoff, South Oak Cliff sent a short sky kick to the right side. But Randle moved Sean Smith up to up back, and he returned it 72 yards for the game’s final score.
South Oak Cliff running back Damond Williams, who finished the night with 138 yards and a score, could’ve had even more on the would-be 42-yard game winning touchdown. But the play was called back for holding.
Sophomore running back Landen Williams-Callis paced Randle with 23 carries for 101 yards and a score, earning the game’s Offensive MVP. Williams-Callis benefitted from a creative gameplan by Randle’s offensive coaching staff that utilized heavy motion and a two quarterback system with Keilan Sweeny and Tyler Skrabanek.
“When you’re playing a team like SOC that’s that fast, you’ve got to give them eye candy,” Randle said.
Brian Randle has now brought a state championship to the school named after his father, former Lamar CISD Superintendent Dr. Thomas E. Randle. But the son said the school named after his dad is a family for everyone.
“Randle High School, when you walk in that place, it’s like a hug,” Randle said. “From the custodians, to the teachers, to the administration, everybody has each other’s back.”
BOX SCORE
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond Randle | 14 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 38 | |
| South Oak Cliff | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| Team | Qtr | Clock | Score | Type | Play | Drive | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RND | 1 | 11:47 | TD | KO | S.Timpson 82 yd kickoff return (PAT KICK by C.Munguia GOOD) | 0-7 | |
| RND | 1 | 06:45 | TD | RUSH | L.Williams-Callis 1 yd rush (PAT KICK by C.Munguia GOOD) | 4/21/1:39 | 0-14 |
| SOC | 1 | 01:38 | TD | PASS | J.Moore 17 yd reception thrown by C.Kopecky (PAT KICK by C.Olavera GOOD) | 13/76/5:02 | 7-14 |
| RND | 2 | 10:14 | FG | C.Munguia 44 yd Field Goal | 9/43/3:24 | 7-17 | |
| SOC | 2 | 06:29 | TD | RUSH | M.Trotter 2 yd rush (PAT KICK by C.Olavera GOOD) | 10/75/3:45 | 14-17 |
| RND | 2 | 00:46 | TD | PASS | M.Mixon 11 yd reception thrown by K.Sweeny (PAT KICK by C.Munguia GOOD) | 4/41/1:48 | 14-24 |
| SOC | 3 | 11:47 | TD | RUSH | M.Trotter 75 yd rush (PAT KICK by C.Olavera GOOD) | 1/75/0:13 | 21-24 |
| SOC | 3 | 09:28 | TD | RUSH | D.Williams 85 yd rush (PAT KICK by C.Olavera GOOD) | 2/85/0:21 | 28-24 |
| RND | 3 | 01:09 | TD | RUSH | K.Sweeny 21 yd rush (PAT KICK by C.Munguia GOOD) | 4/38/1:29 | 28-31 |
| SOC | 4 | 09:02 | TD | RUSH | C.Kopecky 22 yd rush (PAT KICK by C.Olavera GOOD) | 11/70/4:07 | 35-31 |
| RND | 4 | 08:51 | TD | KO | S.Smith 72 yd kickoff return (PAT KICK by C.Munguia GOOD) | 35-38 |
| STATS | Richmond Randle | SOC |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yds | 211 | 461 |
| Pass Yds | 77 | 106 |
| Rush Yds | 134 | 355 |
| Penalties | 2-25 | 5-55 |
| 1st Downs | 11 | 19 |
| 3rd Downs | 3-10 | 4-12 |
| 4th Downs | 1-1 | 2-3 |
| Total Plays | 43 | 65 |
| Avg Yds/Play | 4.9 | 7.1 |
| Avg Yds/Completion | 12.8 | 10.6 |
| Avg Yds/Rush | 4.3 | 8.1 |
| Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg) | 142 (4.7) | 355 (8.1) |
| Red Zone | 2-2 | 2-2 |
| Time of Poss | 20:26 | 27:34 |
| Turnovers (Def Pts Off) | 1 (7) | 2 (7) |
| Fumbles-Lost | 0-0 | 1-1 |
| Sacks (Def Yds) | 0 (0) | 1 (8) |
| TFL (Def Yds) | 8 (13) | 4 (16) |
Richmond Randle Passing
| # | PLAYER | C-A | YDS | TD | I | C% | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | SKRABANEK,T | 4-9 | 49 | 0 | 1 | 44 | 68 |
| 4 | SWEENY,K | 2-3 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 67 | 255.1 |
| PASS TOTALS | 6-12 | 77 | 1 | 1 | 50 |
Richmond Randle Rushing
| # | PLAYER | ATT | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WILLIAMS-CALLIS,L | 23 | 101 | 1 | 15 | 4.4 |
| 4 | SWEENY,K | 5 | 29 | 1 | 21 | 5.8 |
| 26 | TIMPSON,S | 2 | 12 | 0 | 9 | 6 |
| 19 | SKRABANEK,T | 1 | -8 | 0 | 0 | -8 |
| 4 RUSHERS | 31 | 134 | 2 | 21 | 4.3 |
Richmond Randle Receiving
| # | PLAYER | NO | YDS | TD | LNG | TGT | YAC | DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | MIXON,M | 2 | 28 | 1 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| 2 | RUBIN,D | 1 | 24 | 0 | 24 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| 4 | SWEENY,K | 1 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | SMITH,S | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1 | WILLIAMS-CALLIS,L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 17 | MCCLINTOCK,C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 RECEIVERS | 6 | 77 | 1 | 24 | 12 | 23 | 1 |
Dallas South Oak Cliff Passing
| # | PLAYER | C-A | YDS | TD | I | C% | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | KOPECKY,C | 10-21 | 106 | 1 | 1 | 48 | 96.2 |
Dallas South Oak Cliff Rushing
| # | PLAYER | ATT | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | TROTTER,M | 19 | 170 | 2 | 75 | 8.9 |
| 25 | WILLIAMS,D | 13 | 138 | 1 | 85 | 10.6 |
| 12 | KOPECKY,C | 6 | 42 | 1 | 22 | 7 |
| 4 | MORTON,L | 6 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0.8 |
| 4 RUSHERS | 44 | 355 | 4 | 85 | 8.1 |
Dallas South Oak Cliff Receiving
| # | PLAYER | NO | YDS | TD | LNG | TGT | YAC | DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | MCNEAL JR.,R | 3 | 44 | 0 | 23 | 7 | 5 | 1 |
| 13 | MOORE,J | 2 | 30 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| 14 | COLEMAN,N | 2 | 21 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 12 | 0 |
| 4 | MORTON,L | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| 2 | TROTTER,M | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| 5 RECEIVERS | 10 | 106 | 1 | 23 | 20 | 41 | 1 |
Richmond Randle Defense
| # | Player (Starter) | TotTk | Solo | Sack | TFL | Int | BrUp | QBH | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | R.Mallory | 12 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | S.Revis | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | J.Parker | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 59 | C.Sims | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | T.Williams | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | B.Thompson | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | S.Garza | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | L.Miller | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | P.Oliver | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | P.Kindred | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | C.Spires IV | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | C.McClintock | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | W.Kelly | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | D.Burton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | J.Williams | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | C.Hypolite | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 80 | J.Burton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 78 | 28 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Richmond Randle Fumble Recoveries
| RETURNER | FR | YDS | FF |
|---|---|---|---|
| HYPOLITE,C | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Dallas South Oak Cliff Defense
| # | Player (Starter) | TotTk | Solo | Sack | TFL | Int | BrUp | QBH | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | J.Phillips | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | J.Shelton | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | J.Atkinson | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1 | M.Gipson | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | D.Hayes | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | K.Carter | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | P.Blair | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | D.Butler | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | P.Grundy | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | R.Giles | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | K.Houston | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | J.Brown | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | L.Henderson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | X.Mayfield | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | K.Morgan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 45 | 23 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Dallas South Oak Cliff Fumble Recoveries
| RETURNER | FR | YDS | FF |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 0 | 0 | 0 |
This article is available to our Digital Subscribers.
Click "Subscribe Now" to see a list of subscription offers.
Already a Subscriber? Sign In to access this content.
Don't Miss Any Exclusive Coverage!