DALLAS — Trash talk and the beat of drum both echoed across the plaza outside Dallas City Hall on Wednesday. But the worthwhile noise means much more than just bragging rights to a weekend high school football game.
Win or lose, Oak Cliff is positioned to be the winner again.
"Kick some tail. Kick some tail," said Dallas City Councilman Tennell Atkins, directing his attention to several football players from Carter High School.
"The band is already fired up, and I can only imagine how it's gonna [sic] go down on the field," added Dallas City Councilman Casey Thomas, who has Kimball High School in his district.
"Kick some 'A'," Atkins joked, as he rooted for the Carter Cowboys from his corner of the city.
The 32-year rivalry between Kimball and Carter, on hold for the last two years, resumes this weekend. The so-called "Oak Cliff Super Bowl" comes with Oak Cliff bragging rights and a sizeable trophy.
"We have no doubt we are going to come out victorious," Carter Head Football Coach Spencer Gilbert said. "And the trophy is going to stay on my desk where it is right now."
But after all that trash talk, a Carter defensive lineman stepped up to the microphone to paint a much bigger picture of his Oak Cliff pride.
"Since COVID started, we really haven't had the chance to have a lot of excitement about pretty much anything," Carter senior Stephen Brock said. "It goes deeper than just the city. It also goes to people's hearts."
Deeper because it gives these student athletes from South Dallas a chance to make their communities proud. A chance to make Oak Cliff shine. Proof of the possibilities in their lives, Brock called it.
"This game right here, it will prove that we made it a long way," Brock said. "You can go places. You can do things, you know what I'm saying. And it's not even about the game. It's life, period."
"Both teams are going to come out and show how proud we are of Oak Cliff," said Kimball Head Football Coach Bam Harrison.
So, as the Oak Cliff Super Bowl resumes this Saturday at Kincaide Stadium, realize it's more than just a game. But, with plenty of trash talk part of the promise too.
"I ain't gonna [sic] lie to y'all. There's a gonna be a lot of disrespect too," Brock said. "But at the end of the day, it don't matter who gets that trophy. It fills our heart with joy that we can play this game."