The Southwest Preparatory Conference 3A championship will be a showdown of Dallas area schools.
Episcopal School of Dallas won the first semifinal game on Saturday and then The Oakridge School punched a return ticket to the finals with a 44-14 win over Fort Worth Country Day School at Frank Field.
That game was a rematch of last year’s 3A championship game, also won by Oakridge.
Now the Owls will have a chance to defend the title when it plays ESD – the only school they have lost to this year.
The championship game will be played on Nov. 14. A time and place was still in the works as of Saturday night, according to Oakridge coach Jeromy Flowers.
ESD beat Oakridge, 32-20, on Oct. 16.
“Title game is everything, man,” Flowers said. “You get a rare chance in life to get second chances, you know? So we get a second chance; we get another opportunity. It's not about redemption for us. … it's about going out there and just playing the best game that we could possibly play and be 2-time state champs.”
Does the coach think the Owls are underdogs against the undefeated Eagles?
“You know, whatever they want to call us,” he said. “We just want to go play and see what happens.”
Episcopal School of Dallas (10-0) beat Austin St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, 42-29, in the other semifinal game Saturday.
Oakridge never trailed against Country Day, scoring on the first two drives to build a 16-0 lead.
The Falcons (6-5) pulled within 16-14 in the second quarter on two touchdown passes from Hayes Casey to Owen Bloemendahl.
Country Day didn’t score again.
Oakridge scored twice in the final 8 minutes of the second quarter. Arlington Seguin transfer Isaac Bly had a 68-yard touchdown run following the second Country Day score.
The Owls’ defense got a stop, forced a punt and took over with 57 seconds left.
The offense needed only two plays to score. Quarterback Hunter Squires hit Kingston James on back-to-back pass routes - a 37-yard gain and a 6-yard touchdown pass.
“It's awesome as a quarterback to be able to just not have to worry about certain things and have 2 great wide receivers out there, a great tight end, an awesome running back who just does spectacular every game,” said Squires, a newcomer for the Owls from Arlington James Martin. “I'm forever grateful to be able to have these guys with me and they make me look good.”