What channel is the South Oak Cliff game on?

Two of the brand-name programs in the state will square off in a juicy non-district clash that provides a first-rate 1-on-1 matchup

DESOTO, Texas — Two of the preeminent high school football programs in North Texas will square off on Saturday, in a high-quality non-district matchup. Defending 5A-Division II State Champion South Oak Cliff takes on a loaded Desoto team that is ranked 15th in the state in 6A.

You can watch this game live, on the WFAA YouTube channel, or on the brand-new WFAA+ app, which you can download on your television, via ROKU or AmazonFireTV.

The game kicks off at 5 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 4:50.

The Golden Bears, who opened the season ranked #1 in Class 5A-Div. II after their state title, have dropped to 8th in the rankings, due to a pair of tough early season losses against Duncanville and Lancaster, both state-ranked teams. Desoto was ranked 7th a week ago, but dropped to 15th in the polls after they lost to a juggernaut St. Frances program out of Baltimore, MD. So both teams are looking to bounce back off a loss.

There are phenomenal athletes all over the field in this game, but there is one matchup that supersedes the rest.

Johntay Cook, Desoto's spectacular senior wide receiver, is a 5-star tour de force of a pass-catching threat, with speed to burn, and athleticism that can leave you speechless. He's committed to Texas, after receiving 41 scholarship offers around the country. He's the #1 rated wide receiver in Texas.

He'll be head-to-head with South Oak Cliff's superstar cornerback Manny Muhammad. Muhammad is also committed to Texas, after being hit up for 43 scholarship offers. He is a lock-down corner who rarely sees passes come his way because he's so dangerous.

Desoto has a multitude of options in their passing game. But it's hard to imagine them not throwing the ball to Cook all game.

Watching these two go against one another will be pure gridiron theater.

Beyond that, there are ample storylines to unfold throughout the game. SOC's defense features 10 kids who are going to play Division I football. Nine of their 11 defensive starters, plus a backup defensive back. All ten of them with multiple Division I offers to play football.

Desoto's secondary matches that, with all four of their starting defensive backs headed to the Division I ranks, as well.

Duncanville’s Malachi Medlock (5) eludes South Oak Cliff’s Adul Muhammad (6) and gains a couple of yards during the first half of high school football game at Kincaide Stadium in Dallas on Friday, October 3, 2020. (John F. Rhodes / Special Contributor)(John F. Rhodes / Special Contributor)

Three Dallas-area football teams will play on a national stage this upcoming season.

Duncanville, South Oak Cliff and Arlington Martin will have games broadcast on ESPN’s network in August, as part of the station’s High School Kickoff schedule.

Duncanville — the 6A Div. I state runner up in 2021 and MaxPreps’ No. 16 team in the country — will play reigning 5A Div. II state champion South Oak Cliff on Aug. 27 at Dallas ISD’s Kincaide Stadium. That game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Duncanville features four players on The Dallas Morning News’ top 100 recruits list for the class of 2023, led by safety Deldrick Madison (No. 14 overall). South Oak Cliff has an area-best seven players, led by safety Malik Muhammad (No. 5). Duncanville beat South Oak Cliff 42-27 in September last season, though the latter rattled off 15 consecutive wins en route to Dallas ISD’s first recognized football state title since 1958.

Arlington Martin, which features five-star cornerback recruit Javien Toviano (No. 2 on The News’ top 100), will play Lake Travis at Choctaw Stadium on Aug. 25. That game will be played on ESPNU. Lake Travis (12-3) lost to eventual 6A Div. II state champion Galena Park North Shore in the state semifinals last winter, while Martin (9-3) lost to Lewisville in the area round of the playoffs.

Five other games will be played as part of the network’s schedule: Mill Creek (Ga.) vs. Northcross (Ga.); St. Joseph’s Prep (Pa.) vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.); Los Alamitos (Calif.) vs. American Heritage (Fla.), Lipscomb Academy (Tenn.) vs. Thompson (Ala.), and Sant Xavier (Ohio) vs. Loyola Academy (Ill.).

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Shawn McFarland, SportsDay HS reporter. Shawn covers preps for SportsDay HS. He joined The Dallas Morning News after covering UConn basketball, football and high school sports for The Hartford Courant. A Boston area native, Shawn graduated from Springfield College in 2018 and previously worked for The Boston Globe and Baseball America.

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