Sports

Texas High School Football Handshake Snub Shows Severe Lack Of Class After Punches Thrown In Fight

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Texas High School Football Handshake Snub Fight Melissa South Oak Christian
© Angela Piazza/Caller-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

South Oak Cliff defeated Melissa during the semifinal round of the high school football playoffs in Texas. The victors refused to shake hands after the clock hit zero because of fights during the game.

It was a disappointing end to a physical battle between two hard-fought opponents.

Unfortunately, the high school football team that won the game chose not to acknowledge their opponents after it was over. They showed a severe lack of class.

South Oak Cliff advanced to the Texas high school football state championship game with a win over Melissa.

South Oak Cliff High School is located in a suburb to the south of Dallas. Melissa High School is located in a suburb to the north of Dallas. They are separated by about 50 miles on opposite ends of the city.

The Cardinals, which have an astonishingly large football stadium in comparison to its enrollment, lost two games in the regular season by a combined seven points. The Bears lost only one regular season game to one of the most dominant programs in state history.

Although they did not play each other during the regular season, they met on a collision course in the Division 5A-2 high school football playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl on Friday night.

It was tense from the get go. Both sets of captains chose not to shake hands at the coin toss.

Mikail Trotter scored four touchdowns (all during the first half) to lead South Oak Cliff to victory. He made sure to count them.

The Bears went on to defeat the Cardinals by a final score of 35-17.

They will now play in the state championship game next weekend. It was a pretty comfortable win.

Multiple fights led to a handshake snub.

The Texas high school football semifinal game got chippy in a hurry. Players had to be separated about halfway through the second quarter.

A fight broke out on the next possession. At least one punch was thrown.

Even the coaches got involved.

Players from Melissa and South Oak Cliff did not shake hands after the game as a result of the scuffle. However, it should be noted that the Cardinals did make an effort. They walked out to midfield. The Bears refused to meet them there.

It was a bummer ending to a hard-fought game. Coaches should encourage their players to control their emotions and show respect to their opponents— both in victory and in defeat.