Dutch Fork preparing to avenge state championship loss

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - “Well, it’s the first day and I’ve already got a September scowl on,” Dutch Fork head coach Tom Knotts said. “I’ve been ready to go since the Gaffney thing so I’ve been motivated.”

The Silver Foxes have extra motivation this preseason. They were shocked in the Class 5A state championship game last season in an upset by Gaffney snapping a string of five state titles and a 62-game unbeaten streak.

“It’s still eating at me right now, that’s what drives me to come out here every day,” senior running back Jarvis Green said. “We still have a chip because, you know us, we have a winning culture. We want to win everything. Us coming up a little short, we’re going to have a little more drive this year.”

“We’ve felt like losers. You lose one game; you feel like losers,” Knotts said. “Some things didn’t go the Dutch Fork way during the championship game. That’s real life, that’s real life. We don’t know how to deal with anything less than 100 percent success.”

Heading into a new season, Dutch Fork still has plenty of weapons. Green will power the offense, Knotts saying he is a player who’s “as good as he’s ever coached.”

The Silver Foxes will face a very demanding schedule with only three home games. They’ll also travel to play in Charlotte and Atlanta, plus two unusual non-region games in Stratford and North Augusta.

“Those aren’t your usual suspects who would play a Dutch Fork team, but those coaches got a lot to be proud of to step up, man up against a group probably a little ahead of where they are,” Knotts said. “These other guys that dodge us, I don’t have any respect for them.”

Dutch Fork travels to Hough (N.C.) on Aug. 18 for its first contest of the 2022 season.

Copyright 2022 WIS. All rights reserved.

Notice a spelling or grammar error in this article? Click or tap here to report it. Please include the article’s headline.