Richmond Randle Stun South Oak Cliff

The highly anticipated third meeting between South Oak Cliff and Richmond Randle finally delivered a rubber match — and once again, neither team could separate itself by more than one possession.

The two programs agreed to meet during the regular season to settle a 1-1 series split established through back-to-back state championship games. With Randle moving up to Class 5A Division I, a third consecutive championship meeting at AT&T Stadium in December was no longer possible.

Instead, the teams settled their score Friday night at Prairie View A&M’s Blackshear Stadium, where Randle came away with a 20-14 victory, handing South Oak Cliff its first loss since Week 2 of last season.

The rivalry has been built on mutual respect between South Oak Cliff head coach Jason Todd and Richmond Randle head coach Brian Randle.

But on Friday night, bragging rights were at stake.

Even on what Todd would consider an off night for South Oak Cliff, the Golden Bears still had a chance to steal the game in the final seconds.

SOC struggled offensively throughout the night, finishing with just 113 yards of total offense while committing nine penalties. Still, senior quarterback Jayden Williams had the ball in his hands near midfield as the clock expired, but his final pass fell incomplete.

The final sequence — an incomplete pass following a sack — was a fitting conclusion to a difficult night for the SOC offense.

Earlier in the fourth quarter, Williams gave his team a chance to rally when he connected with running back Kenneth Young for a 56-yard touchdown, cutting Randle’s double-digit advantage to a single score with just over two minutes remaining. Before that play, South Oak Cliff had crossed into Randle territory only once in the second half.

Randle’s offense, meanwhile, was powered by Texas pledge Landen Williams-Callis, who rushed for 232 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown came with less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter after he had already piled up 130 rushing yards in the first half.

The performance marked Williams-Callis’ highest rushing total against South Oak Cliff in three meetings and made him the first running back to rush for more than 200 yards against SOC since Aledo’s Sammy Steffe did so in the 2021 regional semifinal.

Despite the offensive struggles, South Oak Cliff’s defense kept the door open late. The Golden Bears stopped Williams-Callis on a third-and-short situation to force a punt, giving SOC one final opportunity.

That opportunity ultimately ended with Williams’ incomplete pass as time expired.

For Randle, the victory settled the series — at least for now — and gave the Lions a memorable win over the defending state champions.

For South Oak Cliff, it was a reminder that even the program’s championship-caliber teams have faced adversity. As Todd pointed out afterward, none of SOC’s state championship teams have finished a season undefeated.

Friday night simply added another chapter to one of Texas high school football’s most competitive recent matchups.