Dutch Fork playing well, but Silver Foxes have bigger goals in mind

Dutch Fork coach Tom Knotts calls his team a work in progress, but liked what he saw last week.

The Silver Foxes, ranked No. 1 in the latest Midlands Top 10 poll, jumped out to a 21-0 lead en route to a 35-22 win over defending state champion Fort Dorchester last Thursday. The loss snapped the nationally ranked Patriots’ 17-game winning streak and earned Dutch Fork the Midlands Team of the Week honors.

“I still think the best is yet to come,” Knotts said. “And kids realize they can play a lot better than they did (against Fort Dorchester) and had a great practice yesterday. We look at this season like a marathon, want to improve daily and be in the hunt at the end. I see what they can achieve and can be. I keep preaching the message and, hopefully, they realize the method to the madness.”

Since Knotts’ arrival, Dutch Fork has been in the hunt at the end. Dutch Fork made it to three straight state championship game appearances, from 2012-14. The Silver Foxes made it to the second round of the postseason last year before losing to Dorman.

Dutch Fork began the year with some question marks, with the biggest at quarterback. Reese Nichols has stepped in for Cole Douglas, who’s now playing at Dartmouth. Nichols, a member of the baseball team, hasn’t played football since middle school, but Knotts has been pleased with his arm strength and knowledge of the game.

Nichols is surrounded by a strong receiving corps, which Knotts said is one of the best he’s had. The group of Bobby Irby, Austin Connor and Bryson Cannon are a tough matchup for opposing defenses. The group is strengthened with the return of Ward Hacklen, a Clemson baseball commit. Hacklen initially decided not to play this year to concentrate on baseball, but changed his mind and played last week against Fort Dorchester.

Defensively, the Silver Foxes returned nine starters, but switched from 4-3 to 3-4 under new defensive coordinator Nick Pelham. Through two games, Dutch Fork is giving up 211 yards a game after surrendering 330 per contest last year. The Silver Foxes also have eight sacks and are on pace to break last year’s total of 30.

“We are running different schemes and blitzing a lot more than before,” Knotts said. “We are very fast on defense, and deep on the defensive line. We can rotate six defensive linemen throughout the game. If one isn’t performing, we will get them out and that creates competition on the team, which is good.”