Picks and previews for Class 3A, 4A, 5A state championship games
Class 5A Championship
Dutch Fork (12-1) vs. Dorman (12-2), noon
Dutch Fork is going for its second straight championship and in the title game for fifth time in Tom Knotts’ seven seasons.
Both teams love to run the football with Dorman averaging 282.9 yards a game on the ground and Dutch Fork 231.3. Dorman has three 1,000-yard rushers in quarterback Ben Batson (1,066), running backs Thomas Morgan (1,365) and Marcus Ratchford (1,170).
Silver Foxes’ Bryce Thompson has 2,106 all-purpose yards and 36 touchdowns. Dutch Fork receiver Jalin Hyatt is 91 yards shy of 1,000 for the season and has 100 or more yards receiving in five of last seven games.
Dutch Fork linebacker Alex Smith has 14 sacks, five coming in last two games. As a team, the Silver Foxes have 30 sacks.
Pick: Dutch Fork
Class 3A Championship
Dillon (14-0) vs. Chapman (14-0), 3 p.m.
Rematch of last year’s championship game won by Chapman, 29-27.
Dillon is in its ninth state championship in last 10 years and going for seventh title in that span. The Wildcats’ defense has 33 sacks and 26 interceptions, 10 by Tyquan Porter.
Chapman has won 21 straight games. Chapman running back DJ Twitty is eight yards shy of 2,000 for the season and has 36 total TDs. Quarterback Colton Bailey, a Mr. Football finalist, has 4,069 total yards of offense and accounted for 57 TDs.
Pick: Dillon
Class 4A Championship
Hartsville (13-1) vs. South Pointe (14-0), 6:30 p.m.
Third time in last four years the two teams are meeting in state title game. South Pointe won the previous two by combined score of 72-35.
South Pointe, ranked No. 4 in USA Today poll, is trying to become the sixth team in state history to win four championships in a row. Stallions QB Derion Kendrick, a Clemson commit has thrown for 2,546 yards and rushed for 1,075 with 46 total TDs.
Hartsville running back Tiyon Evans rushed for 292 yards and four TDs in the Lower State championship game against Berkeley.
Pick: South Pointe
Tickets: $10
TV/INTERNET
Games will be will be streamed on www.nfhsnetwork.com and carried locally on WACH Fox 57.2 (TWC 1250) and across the state on WCIV 36.1 (MyTV Charleston) in Charleston, Asheville/Greenville on WMYA MyTV 40 and in Florence/Myrtle Beach on WWMB CW21.
RADIO
Dutch Fork and Dorman’s game will air on 94.9 FM in Columbia online at www.espncolumbia.com
This story was originally published December 1, 2017 at 2:32 PM with the headline "Picks and previews for Class 3A, 4A, 5A state championship games."