Back-to-back champs! Dutch Fork runs to 5A state title

Dutch Fork repeated at Class 5A champion in dramatic fashion.

Senior linebacker Hugh Ryan tackled Dorman’s John Gelotte at the 1-yard line on a game-deciding 2-point conversion attempt to give Dutch Fork a 28-27 victory Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.

“Well, 5A has been in existence two years and we’re the champions. The climb to the top of the hill is hard, but staying there is harder,” Dutch Fork coach Tom Knotts said. “That’s going to be our motto, and we’re going to stick with it.”

It was the Silver Foxes’ third title since 2013 and their fifth title appearance in the past six years. The championship is Knotts’ 10^th. He won seven in North Carolina.

But this might have been one of Knotts’ most nerve-wracking.

Dutch Fork led on two occasions in the second half, including 28-21 with 8:39 left. But the Cavaliers scored on a six-play, 42-yard, drive capped by Ben Batson’s 2-yard pass to Jacoby Pinckney with 19 seconds left to make it 28-27.

Dorman coach Dave Gutshall decided to go for the win following a timeout. After a bad snap, Batson hit Gelotte on an inside screen pass but Ryan came up with the game-saving stop for the victory.

“It is something you always dream about,” Ryan said of the final tackle. “It’s like I have seen it before. I pictured in my mind doing it, and it came true.”

Gutshall said he had no regrets on going for the 2-point conversion.

“Dutch Fork is an outstanding football team, and the more I thought about it, if they put the ball on the 10 (for overtime) they’re probably going to go wildcat and put No. 2 (Bryce Thompson) back there,” Gutshall said. “We thought we’d go one play to win it all.”

Sophomore Ron Hoff rushed for 188 yards and two first-half touchdowns for Dutch Fork. Hoff has scored two TDs in each of the past two championships. Most of Hoff’s damage came in the first half.

In the second half, Thompson did the bulk of the work in Dutch Fork’s wildcat formation. Thompson had 119 of his 136 yards in the second half and scored twice, including a 72-yard run to put Dutch Fork up 21-14 with 1:47 left in the third quarter.

“I hadn’t gave Bryce enough touches. When he goes to wide receiver, you can’t throw it every down,” Knotts said. “So I just wanted to give him more touches, and he delivered. He’d instantly upgrade South Carolina. He is a special player.”

Thompson’s second touchdown, a 25-yarder, put the Silver Foxes ahead 28-21 with 8:39 left. It is the second year he scored the game-winning touchdown in the state title game.

Thompson ran for the game-winning score in Ben Lippen’s SCISA 3A state title victory against Porter-Gaud last year. The senior transferred back to Dutch Fork, where attended as a freshman in the spring and played a big role in the Silver Foxes’ second consecutive title.

Thompson seldom came out of Saturday’s game, playing both offense and defense. He had 168 all-purpose yards and four tackles.

“This is the perfect way to go out,” Thompson said. “I am so proud of our team and love them so much. It was tough, and we messed up on a lot of assignments, but we still fought strong. This showed that we aren’t mentally weak, we are strong and going to fight to the finish.”

Both teams came into the game as strong running teams and played to their strengths. Dutch Fork gained 315 of its 445 yards on the ground. Dorman had 290 of its 391 on the ground. The Cavaliers had 282 yards in the second half.

Dorman led 7-0 when Tylen Fowler returned a bad snap 51 yards with 42 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Silver Foxes answered by scoring on back-to-back drives as Hoff scored both TDs to give them a 14-7 lead at halftime.

This story was originally published December 2, 2017 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Back-to-back champs! Dutch Fork runs to 5A state title."