Knotts leads Dutch Fork to special, unexpected season

Sometimes, the unexpected moments are the ones remembered the most.

That was the case this season for Dutch Fork coach Tom Knotts. After beginning the season with many question marks and uncertainty, the Silvers Foxes ended up with a 15-0 record, the school’s first unbeaten season and the Class 5A championship with a 28-21 win over Boiling Springs.

It was the ninth state title for Knotts, who won seven at Independence High School in North Carolina, and he was named The State’s Midlands Coach of the Year.

“Been a lot where I not only expected it but demanded it. But this was kind of unexpected and ranks up there with the first one in the 1990s and first one at Dutch Fork,” Knotts said. “This season, there were so many questions, but our due diligence seemed to work out. So, this was a special one because it was so unexpected.”

Knotts said he liked his team following the spring despite the question marks. The team returned an experienced receiving group, but quarterback Reese Nichols didn’t play football the year before and there were some questions on the offensive line.

Plus, Dutch Fork had a new defensive coordinator in Nick Pelham and the Silver Foxes switched to a 3-4 scheme. But the defense allowed the fifth fewest points in Class 5A and the other pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

Dutch Fork found a go-to guy to run the ball in freshman Ron Hoff, who rushed for more than 1,700 yards and earned first-team All-America honors.

The turning point of the Silver Foxes’ season came in the first meeting against Fort Dorchester on Sept. 2. The Patriots came into the game nationally ranked and with a 17-game winning streak.

But Dutch Fork used a strong start in the 35-22 win.

“We looked at the film on Sunday and the light came on in kids and coaches eyes. We beat the best team in the state and we didn’t play very well,” Knotts said. “We felt like we lost the game, that we played so bad, but we had a bit of confidence. Then we got lucky the next week against Summerville. … Then we developed the attitude that we were our own worst enemy and the only ones who could beat us were ourselves.

“Once we realized that, we got in a groove and got it done.”

From there, Dutch Fork played with more confidence and pulled out other wins when they weren’t at their best. In the playoffs, Dutch Fork won its first three games by 20 points or more, including a rematch against Fort Dorchester.

In the championship game, Dutch Fork jumped out early and got big plays from the defense down the stretch.

“I just remember this group as being a great senior group and I pushed them and pushed them,” Knotts said. “Sometimes I feel like I pushed them to brink and they pushed back sometimes. But they always responded and I think they found out there was a method to my madness and the coaches’ madness. We really saw greatness in them.”

This story was originally published January 7, 2017 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Knotts leads Dutch Fork to special, unexpected season."