Dutch Fork’s Jarvis Green stiff arms Fort Dorchester’s Michael Smalls for extra yards. Photos by Mike Maddock
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The Dutch Fork Silver Foxes got three touchdown runs from Jarvis Green and two touchdown passes from Aliam Appler en route to a 47-10 win over the Fort Dorchester Patriots in the 5A State Championship Saturday, December 3.
“Losing last year was a big motivator,” Dutch Fork head coach Tom Knotts said of the loss to Gaffney in the 2021 championship game. “Success is a double-edged sword, and then we lost a game. We had to come back and figure out what we did wrong and right those mistakes. That was the motivating factor through the year.”
Dutch Fork rushed for 350 yards on 47 carries and established the running attack early. On their first drive beginning at their 37, the Silver Foxes covered 63 yards on six plays on the ground. Green started it off with a 19-yard gain on his first carry to the Fort Dorchester 44. He later broke off a 26-yard run to the Patriots two, and capped off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give Dutch Fork a 6-0 lead with 10:21 left in the first quarter.
Dutch Fork’s Jaylin Hinton tackles Fort Dorchester’s Davion Brown.
After each team turned the ball over on downs, Fort Dorchester took over at its 30. Davion Brown rushed for 11 yards to the Patriots’ 41. Then Zolten Osborne connected with Mul-Ty Snider for a 48-yard gain to the Dutch Fork 11, but Fort Dorchester had to settle for a Christian Wilson 22-yard field goal to close the gap to 6-3 with 3:51 left in the opening quarter.
The score held until the early minutes of the second quarter. Green, who was injured on Dutch Fork’s previous series, showed he was fine with a 79-yard run to the Patriots’ 2. Appler took it the rest of the way, and Justin Welch added the extra point to extend the Silver Foxes’ lead to 13-3 with 9:02 left in the quarter.
The Silver Foxes’ defense forced another turnover on downs, giving the offense the ball at the Dutch Fork 32. The drive only took one play as Appler threw a 68-yard bomb to Isaiah Jones for a touchdown and a 19-3 lead with 6:32 remaining before halftime.
Dutch Fork principal Dr. Greg Owings and head coach Tom Knotts celebrate the 5A State Championship.
Dutch Fork traveled 70 yards in eight plays on its next possession. An 11-yard pass from Appler to Garrett Werts got the drive going. After a penalty against the Silver Foxes, Appler found Jones for a 43-yard gain to the Fort Dorchester 26. Then Green capped off the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run, and Welch added the extra point to put Dutch Fork ahead 26-3 at halftime.
Fort Dorchester generated some momentum at the beginning of the third quarter with a 3-play, 59-yard drive that was capped off by a 49-yard touchdown run from Ryan Campbell. Wilson added the extra point, and the deficit was 26-10 with 11:24 left in the quarter.
The Patriots’ momentum didn’t last long as Dutch Fork began its ensuing drive from its 20. Runs by Green, Appler, and Maurice Anderson moved the ball to the 40. The drive stalled and the Silver Foxes lined up to punt, but Fort Dorchester was called for roughing punter Chandler Perry. An additional 15-yard penalty was assessed to the Patriots for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving Dutch Fork the ball at the Fort Dorchester 30. Green then had three carries for nine yards, and Appler moved it to the 13 before finding Green for a 13-yard touchdown catch. Welch connected on another extra point to extend the lead to 33-10 with 6:13 left in the third quarter.
Dutch Fork’s Aliam Appler tries to elude Fort Dorchester’s Bryce Carpenter.
The next Silver Fox possession began at the Patriots’ 41. A series of penalties moved the ball to the 20. Green took care of the rest with two rushes for 20 yards, which included a 17-yard touchdown run. Welch again split the uprights to give Dutch Fork a 40-10 lead with a minute left in the third quarter.
“Jarvis blocks. He runs. He does everything,” Knotts said. “He’s a good leader. He speaks up when he needs to. He does the things he needs to in order to be a good leader. I just can’t say anything more about him.”
The Silver Foxes put together one last scoring drive in the fourth quarter starting from the Fort Dorchester 32. Another series of penalties ended with the ball at the 24. Trenton Lodge then rushed three times for 22 yards. Appler capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, and Welch added one last extra point to give Dutch Fork the 47-10 win.
Dutch Fork’s Isaiah Jones makes the catch en route to a 68-yard touchdown.
Green finished with 241 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 23 carries. He also had three receptions for 49 yards and one touchdown.
Appler completed 7-of-7 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 52 yards and two touchdowns on ten carries.
Jones caught three passes for 119 yards and one touchdown.
Dutch Fork’s defense held Fort Dorchester to 367 yards of total offense.
“Our defense makes it easy to play offense,” Knotts said. “At first they were getting some yards on the inside zone, which is not what we normally do. After a while we had to stop that, and then we gave up a couple of passes. We struggled a little bit in the first quarter-and-a-half, but then we figured out a way to do the things we needed to in order to win.”
Dutch Fork’s Josh Smith sacks Fort Dorchester’s Zolten Osborne.
The Silver Foxes finish the 2022 season with a 14-1 record; which includes wins over Hough (N.C.), Creekside (Ga.), Lexington, Dorman, Gaffney, and two against Spartanburg.
“It was a murderers’ row,” Knotts said. “Even Mauldin, whose record wasn’t very good, was a solid, physical football team. We beat Dorman, Gaffney, and Spartanburg like we did and then come out against a good Fort D team. That’s about like last year. We ran through Fort D and Sumter. They were very physical. The playoffs were like they were supposed to be. Every game was tough even though the score wouldn’t always indicate it.”
Fort Dorchester finishes the season with an 11-4 record.
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