CLASS 5A DIVISION II AREA

Dallas South Oak Cliff Bears (8-3)

vs.

Marshall Mavericks (10-1)

3 p.m. Saturday

Eagle Stadium, DeSoto

Coaches
  • South Oak Cliff: Jason Todd
  • Marshall: Clint Harper
Last week
Next week
  • Winner faces winner between Forney and Frisco Lone Star, regional semifinals

Playmakers

South Oak Cliff

  • LB Marvin Terry, Sr., 6-1, 216 (83 tackles, 34 for loss, 13 sacks, 1 forced fumble)
  • QB David Johnson, Sr., 6-1, 177 (110-193, 1,706 yards, 12 TDs, 1 INT)
  • WR JaMarcus Ingram, Sr., 5-10, 160 (24 catches, 505 yards, 6 TDs)
  • RB Jordan Ray, Sr., 5-10, 180 (127 carries, 783 yards, 11 TDs)
  • LB Jaylon Wooten, Sr., 6-1, 228 (112 tackles, 8 for loss, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 forced fumble)
  • DB Juice Parker, Sr., 6-0, 183 (45 tackles, 3 INTs, 62 return yards on interceptions)

Marshall

 

  • QB Cam Haller, Jr., 5-10, 200 (35-58, 555 passing yards, 8 TDs, 2 INTs, 208 carries, 1,692 rushing yards, 25 TDs)
  • DL Antonio Washington, Sr., 6-2, 280 (77 tackles, 30 for loss, 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles)
  • RB Chavis Mills, Sr., 5-7, 185 (137 carries, 1,025 yards, 15 TDs, 12 catches, 127 yards, 1 TD)
  • WR Jaquavian Dabbs, Sr., 6-0, 170 (37 catches, 777 yards, 8 TDs)
  • WR Trel Patton, Sr., 5-9, 160 (33 catches, 662 yards, 9 TDs)
  • DB Micahh Smith, Sr., 6-1, 200 (95 tackles, 3 for loss, 3 INTs, 5 PBUs, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovery)
  • LB Deondre Osborne, Sr., 5-8, 215 (65 tackles, 4 for loss, 2 INTs, 2 PBUs, 1 forced fumble)
  • DB Corteze Hurd, Soph., 6-1, 170 (49 tackles, 4 INTs, 4 PBUs)

 

 

Just the facts
  • Saturday's game is a rematch of last season's Class 5A Division II area round meeting.
  • Marshall will try to avenge a 55-35, season-ending loss to South Oak Cliff.
  • A lot of the problems the Mavericks encountered last season have graduated. The Bears had 13 college football prospects on their team last year and have four this season, headlined by consensus four-star linebacker Marvin Terry.
  • Marshall counters with a handful of prospects. Senior safety Micahh Smith has offers, junior quarterback Cam Haller has interest and it wouldn't be surprising if defensive tackle Antonio Washington gets an offer late.
  • Both teams had close calls in the bi-district playoff round.
  • South Oak Cliff defeated Mansfield Timberview, 17-14, with a field goal inside the final 15 seconds.
  • The Mavericks held on for a 21-17 win against Lindale.
  • Marshall is four wins better than the last time it faced South Oak Cliff and has a lot more experience. South Oak Cliff enters the rematch with the exact same 8-3 record.
  • Don't mistake Cam Haller as a running quarterback for Marshall. He only inherited the starting spot full-time four games ago. Senior Justin Hart was lost for the season at that time. Haller had been more of a wildcat player up until that point.
  • South Oak Cliff won District 13-5A. Marshall tied with Longview and Texas High for the championship of District 15-5A and won the first seed in the 5A Division II playoffs.
  • The Mavericks will travel 158 miles to DeSoto one-way. South Oak Cliff will travel 11 miles. But the Bears did travel to Tyler for last season's playoff game against Marshall.
Receiver Trel Patton can open things up for the offense with a handful of big catches. (Rob Graham, ETSN.fm)
Receiver Trel Patton can open things up for the offense with a handful of big catches. (Rob Graham, ETSN.fm)
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Key matchup: Marshall's offense versus South Oak Cliff's defensive front.

A lot of good high school teams can work around not having the best linebackers in the state with a good defensive line and a strong secondary. South Oak Cliff has an elite linebacking corps, which eases pressure across the defense.

Marvin Terry is a consensus four-star linebacker with more than half his 83 tackles going for loss. Jaylon Wooten is another good one with a team-best 112 tackles and lessens the burden on the secondary.

The duo are good up against the run and athletic enough to fall back and defend short and intermediate passes. They allow the secondary to work higher up the field, which makes it harder for opposing offenses to beat the defense with big plays on deep throws.

Marshall is well-balanced and will have to spend some time in-game assessing whether the pass or the run is their best route to a win.

One thing is for sure, however. South Oak Cliff has not seen a quarterback as dynamic as Marshall's Cam Haller in weeks. Its seven-team district was fairly week and the team struggled against similar quarterbacks from Class 6A schools Cedar Hill and DeSoto during their three-game, non-district schedule. South Oak Cliff lost those two games by multiple possessions.

With 1,692 rushing yards on 208 carries -- an average of 5.8 yards per run -- Haller is a liability. And he can use his mobility to lure the linebackers down and then reset for a throw to two explosive receivers in Trel Patton and Jaquavian Dabbs.

South Oak Cliff will have to play conservatively and accept moderate Haller gains on the ground to avoid getting beat in the intermediate passing game. Marshall running back Chavis Mills, who has 1,025 yards, is all the more reason to play honestly on defense against the Mavericks.

Don't be surprised if: Marshall has to nickel and dime itself to victory on offense. Cam Haller should be good for a handful of big plays, but South Oak Cliff's linebackers and the defense at large want to keep him in check. The more yardage Marshall can gain with straightforward passes and runs, the more the offense will open up Haller for improvisation on a bad play. That could translate into sustaining a drive.

Marshall running back Chavis Mills. (Rob Graham, ETSN.fm)
Marshall running back Chavis Mills. (Rob Graham, ETSN.fm)
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