High School

3 takeaways from Dallas South Oak Cliff vs. Galena Park North Shore in Texas high school football opener

The Week 1 showdown featured more than 1,000 yards of total offense

Cody Thorn

Dallas South Oak Cliff's Torrin Teague, left, tries to avoid a tackle against Galena Park North Shore during a game Friday, Aug. 29 in Dallas.
Dallas South Oak Cliff's Torrin Teague, left, tries to avoid a tackle against Galena Park North Shore during a game Friday, Aug. 29 in Dallas. / Cody Thorn

DALLAS — A showdown of teams that were regulars in the semifinals and state finals, on paper, should make for an exciting game.

After a slow start, Dallas South Oak Cliff led Galena Park North Shore 7-0 after the first quarter. The two then put up a combined 65 points over the final three quarters in the Aug. 29 season opener for both teams.

Class 5A Division II No. 2-ranked SOC won 41-31 in a game against the No. 6-ranked team in Class 6A that seemed like a blowout for a bit and then probably put a few grey hairs on SOC coach Jason Todd’s head late.

Dallas South Oak Cliff holds off North Shore's late rally in Texas high school football opener: Live score recap

1. New QB1s

Both teams had new starting quarterbacks and each had solid games.

North Shore’s Kaleb Maryland accounted for nearly 500 yards of offense between his arm and leg. 

The Utah State pledge was 28 for 47 passing for 302 yards and 3 scores. He ran 10 times for 170 yards and 2 scores.

Kaleb Bailey, now at Murray State, ran the offense for three of the past four years and won a state title as a freshman. He earned MVP honors in that 2021 title game as well.

If there was any doubt that there would be a drop off, game one was a good example that Maryland can make plays.

He helped his team rally from a 28-7 deficit and a 35-19 deficit and got his team within four in the fourth quarter.

The 6-foot, 180-pounder looks like a running back when he gets in open space, evident by an 83-yard touchdown.

Jayden Williams threw three first-half touchdown passes to Jaylen Moore. Williams completed 12 of 17 passes for 120 yards. 

Williams is replacing Carter Kopecky. Last year’s starter is now at Division II Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

2. Run this way 

South Oak Cliff has been known for its power run game and strong defense. That has been the catalyst for four straight state final berths.

The Golden Bears showcased that aspect of the offense as well, which complemented the play of Williams.

SOC ran for 378 yards and averaged 10.2 yards per carry. 

Mikail Trotter and Levon Morton both went over 100 yards in the win. 

Trotter had 194 on 22 carries, while Morton had 153 on 12 totes. It was his second 100-yard game in his career after eclipsing his previous career high of 115 set last Nov. 14 vs. Terrell.

Trotter had 3 games of 100 yards or more last year. 

The biggest glaring issue for North Shore is the lack of rushing besides Maryland.

Take away his 170 on the ground, the rest of the team had 36 yards on 7 carries.

3. How many new Mustangs? A lot 

North Shore made the state semifinals for the fourth year in a row, but the offseason started with only 8 returning starters coming back — 4 on both sides of the ball.

That went down to 4 on offense and 3 on defense before this game when Georgia pledge Chace Calicut was removed from the team.

The senior defensive back was arrested in July for driving a car with former teammate Isaiah Phillips, who shot at another car in far north Harris County — more than 30 miles away from the North Shore area. 

Back to the football part of this … losing Calicut definitely was a big blow.

North Shore started four juniors on offense and even freshman Michael Camacho Jr. got a catch in the game. The defense started five juniors, three of those in the secondary. 

Most of the seniors who started were first-year starters. 

You could clearly see some growing pains early on. North Shore ran one play on offense and then had to call a timeout only 12 seconds into the game.

The defense gave up early scores in bunches and the Mustangs were down 28-7 in the second quarter.

As the game went on, North Shore started to play better on both sides of the ball. 

North Shore gave up two scores in the second half, both on big plays. South Oak Cliff converted a 4th-and-2 and turned it into a 25-yard touchdown by Torrin Teague in the third, after North Shore had pulled within 28-19.

North Shore pulled within 35-31 with less than 2 minutes to play. An onside kick recovery, which at one point had a Mustang falling on the ball, gave SOC a short field. On the first play after the recovery, Trotter ran up the middle nearly untouched for a 50-yard touchdown to seal the win.

A year ago, North Shore posted a 38-0 win over South Oak Cliff. 

This time, the two combined for 72 points and 1,009 yards of total offense.

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Cody Thorn
CODY THORN

Cody Thorn is a veteran journalist who covers high school sports across the state of Texas and Missouri. He is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has covered sports and news since 1999.

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