Preview: South Oak Cliff Bears vs. Melissa Cardinals
South Oak Cliff has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Melissa Cardinals at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
South Oak Cliff had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They put the hurt on Everman with a sharp 42-19 win on Thursday. Given South Oak Cliff's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 33rd, while Everman is ranked 216th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Khalil Ewell was his usual excellent self, rushing for 140 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 carries. Ewell is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Danny Green Jr, who rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, after only seven points in their last game, Melissa made sure to put some points up on the board against Whitehouse on Friday. Melissa claimed a resounding 49-21 win over Whitehouse at home. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as Melissa just coasted through the last quarter.
South Oak Cliff's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-2. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 45.6 points per game. As for Melissa, their win bumped their record up to 10-1.
South Oak Cliff strolled past Melissa when the teams last played back in December of 2022 by a score of 30-16. Does South Oak Cliff have another victory up their sleeve, or will Melissa turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
