Dutch Fork Five! Silver Foxes set SC record with latest state championship
Dutch Fork put an emphatic stamp on its place in South Carolina high school football history.
The Silver Foxes turned in a dominating performance to defeat T.L. Hanna 28-6 on Friday in the Class 5A state championship game at Benedict College’s Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.
Dutch Fork is the first football team in state history to win five consecutive state titles, and the championship is the sixth for the school, all coming since coach Tom Knotts arrived in 2010. Seven other S.C. teams have won four in a row but failed on their attempt for No. 5.
Knotts pointed his thumb to the crowd and his team as the final seconds ticked down Friday night and raised five fingers as he accepted the state championship trophy.
“One for the thumb,” Knotts said. “The guys played great. We played ball control in the second half. The conditions were horrible, but our guys showed real toughness in this kind of weather.”
While the rain was an obstacle Friday night, the Silver Foxes, like every other team in the state, had to deal with playing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Knotts had his doubts the season would be played but told The State back in June his team would be ready.
“It has been an unusual season,” Knotts said. “We tried to make things as safe possible. But we said we would be here. It wasn’t enough to be here. We had to win it. I’m so proud of them. We pressured them all year to get here and do it, and they did a great job.”
Knotts has won 13 state championships, six in South Carolina and seven in North Carolina. He holds the record for most consecutive state championships in both states. Independence High School teams won seven in a row, and Knotts was there for six of them. He left for one year to be an assistant at his alma mater, Duke.
Dutch Fork is unbeaten in its past 50 games and is nationally ranked in MaxPreps and the USA Today Super 25.
It was DF’s second win over T.L. Hanna during the title run. The Silver Foxes defeated the Yellow Jackets 59-20 in 2018. Dutch Fork’s other title wins were over Dorman (twice) and Boiling Springs.
Dutch Fork took control of the game early, scoring on its first four possessions to take a 28-6 halftime lead.
Clemson commit Will Taylor and running back Jarvis Green each ran for two scores in the first half as Dutch Fork gained 327 of its 372 yards in the first two quarters.
“We were ready to go out of the gate,” Taylor said. “We knew they would be so we just took it to them in the first half. The second half was a little sloppy, but it was a fun night.”
The second half was played under sloppy conditions with a driving rain coming down. Taylor finished 6-of-9 passing for 147 yards and also ran 14 times for 82 yards.
Green, who moved over from receiver to running back in the offseason, rushed for a season-high 137 yards. It was his second 100-yard game of the season. He had 127 against River Bluff.
Green also caught two passes for 47 yards.
“The motto is Drive for Five. I am going to celebrate this all night. I don’t know if I am going to sleep,” Green said. “We set the tempo and just had it in the first half. I really give credit to our defense, scout team, too. They just put it there.”
Dutch Fork’s defense held the Yellow Jackets’ Wing-T run-oriented offense to just 212 yards, more than 200 yards less than their season average. T.L. Hanna scored on its first possession and didn’t get it into the red zone the rest of the game. Hanna also didn’t complete a pass.
HOW THEY SCORED
First quarter
DF - Green 7 run (Unlutaskiran kick), 11:07
TLH - Morrison 1 run (kick failed), 7:47
DF - Taylor 21 run (Unlutaskiran kick), 5:57
DF - Green 8 run (Unlutaskiran kick), 0:21
Second quarter
DF - Taylor 4 run (Unlutaskiran kick), 3:24
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: TLH: Brownlee 5-74; Horne 10-70; Hudson 12-31; Carroll 3-11; Morrison 7-10; Roberts 1-7; Johnson 8-5; Cothran 3-3. DF: Green 13-137; Taylor 14-82; Williams 1-16; Spencer 1-12; Taylor 1-8.
Passing: TLH: Horne 0-3-0 0. DF: Taylor 6-9-0 147.
Receiving: TLH: None. DF: Green 2-47; Williams 2-32; Hyatt 1-57; Spencer 1-11.
This story was originally published December 4, 2020 at 9:49 PM.
