Battle of physical foes pits Argyle against South Oak Cliff in state semis

Still, no team has been able to unseat Argyle (14-0), and it has sported 5A-DII’s No. 1 ranking all season as a result. The Eagles face perhaps their toughest test yet this week in taking on defending state champion South Oak Cliff (11-3) in the state semifinal round.

After a regional semifinal round exit from last year’s playoffs, Argyle is one win from a shot at its third state title in program history, two years after hoisting the 2020 crown.

“This was always the plan,” senior offensive lineman Wes Tucker said. “Yes, it’s special, but this is what we do. This is the standard that’s been set.”

It took a come-from-behind win over Abilene Wylie in last week’s regional championship to reach the semifinals. The Eagles trailed 14-7 at halftime before riding a 21-point swing to a 35-28 win.

Their latest contest comes in Week 16 of the high school football season, and the fifth week of the playoffs. Fatigue has certainly set in, and injuries have taken their toll on teams across the state.

Those realities have Argyle coach Todd Rodgers looking to strike a balance between continued preparation and preserving his players.

“It’s been a long season,” Rodgers said. “You have to deal with the fine line between overworking them and underworking them. You try to deal with their mental preparation more than you do with the physical pieces of preparation.”

Physicality will still play a big part in the contest, though. Both teams have leaned heavily on a combination of strong run games and stout defenses to fuel their success, setting the table for a game that will likely be won in the trenches.

To slow the Bears’ run game, Argyle will need to overcome a stout offensive line led by Narado Stoker, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound offensive tackle who is committed to TCU. The group paves the way for running backs Tedrick Williams and Danny Green, who have carried the ball a combined 310 times for 2,011 yards and 26 touchdowns this season.

Luckily for the Eagles, they have a defensive front that has caused plenty of problems for opponents this season, led by Nebraska commit Riley Van Poppel and Boise State pledge Michael Madrie. The unit helped Argyle record eight sacks as key difference-makers in last week’s win over Wylie.

Madrie is well aware of the challenge he and the defensive line will be presented with this week.

“Their whole O-line’s massive, really big,” defensive lineman Michael Madrie said. “It’s going to be a big task and experience for my defensive line guys.

“We have to use our speed and our mobility to beat them.”

Offensively, the Eagles will be looking to win in the trenches as well. Running backs RJ Bunnell and Landon Farris have combined for 393 carries, 2,659 yards and 34 touchdowns to lead the way offensively.

Quarterback John Gailey has also helped spark the offense at times, particularly last week against Wylie. He ran for three touchdowns in the contest and led a key Argyle drive to tie the game at 14-all in the third quarter with a trio of completions and a touchdown run, beginning a flurry of 21 unanswered points.

Continuing their success on the ground could be difficult against a talented front seven. South Oak Cliff boasts a trio of three-star recruits within the group in defensive linemen Billy Walton (Texas commit) and Keith Smith (UNT pledge) along with linebacker Dylan Brown-Turner (UNT commit).

A plethora of highly regarded defensive backs add to the stout unit that has allowed just 15.1 points per game.

Finding ways to overcome the Bears’ defensive prowess will be crucial to Argyle’s chances of success.

“They have a really fast and physical defensive line and linebackers,” Tucker said. “They’re a really tough, physical team. This is just going to have to be a really well-planned and well-executed game for us.”

Argyle will certainly have its hands full in taking on another of the state’s best squads on Friday night. Still, the Eagles are confident they can overcome South Oak Cliff with a well-executed performance.

“Trust each other,” Madrie said. “We just have to trust the guys next to us, knowing they’re going to do their job and them knowing we’re going to do ours. If we all just do our jobs and make the mistakes very minimal, we’ll do it, and we’ll win at the end of the night.”