Dutch Fork, under Tom Knotts, has strong case as greatest dynasty SC has ever seen

As the final seconds ticked off the clock Friday night at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium, Dutch Fork coach Tom Knotts knew his team made history. He held up five fingers and made the gesture for “one for the thumb.”

The drive for five was complete as the Silver Foxes knocked off T.L. Hanna 28-6 to claim the Class 5A state championship — the first time in South Carolina High School League history a team has won five-straight state championships.

“One for the thumb,” Knotts said. “We said we were going to be here, and it wasn’t enough just to be here. We had to win it. We pressured them all year to get here and to do it, and they did a great job. “

“Five in a row is great. It’s a tribute to those (players) and the coaches. I’ve pushed them all hard.”

Is Dutch Fork the greatest dynasty ever in South Carolina? Where does Knotts stand among coaches to grace the Palmetto State sidelines?

A quick look at the numbers.

Six programs were tied with Dutch Fork in winning four straight titles. Florence (1916-19), Woodruff (1975-78), Byrnes (2002-05), Christ Church (2011-14), Dillon (2012-15) South Pointe (2014-17) and Abbeville (2015-18) all staked a claim to the state record until the Silver Foxes broke through Friday.

Dutch Fork has been dominant during their stretch. They own a 50-game unbeaten streak, a 49-game in-state winning streak and a 24-game playoff winning streak. They are 64-1-1 since the beginning of the 2016 season.

The only loss during the streak was a setback to a Dakereon Joyner and Fort Dorchester in the second game of the 2017 regular season. (The Silver Foxes avenged that loss in the playoffs that season.)

That brings us to Knotts. The standard bearer among state coaches is John McKissick of Summerville fame. McKissick is the all-time winningest coach in all levels of football. When he retired after the 2014 season, he owned a 621-155-13 record in 62 years with 10 state championships.

Knotts stands at 425-64-1 in 38 seasons. He’s got six state championships at Dutch Fork and won seven while coaching in the state of North Carolina — one with West Charlotte in 1995 and six with Independence during a national-record 109-game winning streak among public high schools.

Knotts is 129-21-1 since arriving at Dutch Fork before the 2010 season. He had a 148-7 record at Independence.

In the leadup to the championship game, Knotts told TV station WOLO-25 ABC in Columbia that he seldom looks at what he has accomplished.

“Usually when I sit back and pat myself on the back a little bit is when it starts to soak in around Christmas,” Knotts said. “What I’ve done, or what my teams have achieved, doesn’t really cross my mind. I’m motivated by the fear of failure. I have a great fear of failure. I do not want to fail and I’m going to do everything in my power to see that I do not fail.”

Everyone knows Knotts is not one to rest on his laurels. He will probably think about his team’s accomplishments over Christmas break — but come Monday, he’s going to start looking at what it will take to win six in a row.

With only 19 seniors on this season’s roster, the Silver Foxes will likely be the odds-on favorite to win it again in 2021.

“Shoot, I’m ready. Monday, we crank it up for number six,” he said.

This story was originally published December 5, 2020 at 5:10 AM.