The legend of Tom Knotts continues to grow as the Dutch Fork football team captured its third straight 5A state championship and eighth in the past nine years. 

The Silver Foxes defeated the Summerville Green Wave 35-21 in Orangeburg to capture the 5A division one title and cap a dominant undefeated season.

“This is a very deserving senior group,” Knotts said. “Really wasn't pleased with the way we won, but we played with a lot of effort and the game just got a little chippy for my liking. But we did come out with a W, which is always a great thing of course.” 

Things did get a chippy as both teams fought for the win. The game was full of big hits and explosive plays, and in the end, Dutch Fork did what it needed to secure another title. 

Summerville played Dutch Fork closer than any team this season. The Green Wave’s 21 points are the most Dutch Fork has allowed in a game since last year’s playoffs. 

“I knew it'd be hard. That's a great football team. They got a great scheme. They got a great player in number four, and they just kept coming back and coming back and pounding at us,” Knotts said. “I didn't like the way we won. Some things we did were, I thought, uncharacteristic.” 

It was a solid outing for many of Dutch Fork’s top playmakers. 

Quarterback Ethan Offing finished the game 12-23 for 252 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 22 yards on the ground. 

Senior wide receiver Boykin Bickley was the team’s top target. His chemistry with Offing was on full display as the pair connected on seven passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. 

“Me and Ethan, we go way back,” Bickley said. “The whole season, I'm just his main target. Me and him are the duo. Every time we go for a pass, it's good for me.” 

Senior running back Maurice Anderson led the team’s ground game, rushing for 146 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries. It was his fourth game this season going over 100 yards and third with at least three touchdowns. 

“All summer we've been putting in that work to not go 0-3 again, not go 10-5,” Anderson said. “We wanted to do the season undefeated and finish. It feels great.” 

Raleigh Salters led the defense with 10 total tackles, including two for a loss. Tyler Brown and Elgin Sessions each had an interception. 

“I was seeing everything. I'm trying to talk to my safety. ‘Look at this, It's coming your way.’ And then, I just made a play when I saw the ball coming,” Sessions said. 

The first half was extremely close with just a single touchdown separating the teams at the break. Dutch Fork trailed for a good chunk of the half but retook the lead midway through the second quarter. 

The Silver Foxes scored the game’s first points on its opening drive. Anderson scored his first touchdown about a minute into the game on an eight-yard run. The point after attempt was no good, so the lead was 6-0. 

Summerville followed the Dutch Fork touchdown with its own score after an 18-yard connection between quarterback Jaden Cummings and receiver Jaiden Kelly-Murray. The Green Wave made their extra point attempt and took a 7-6 lead. 

Neither team scored again in the first quarter and Summerville took a one-point lead into the second quarter. 

Despite winning the quarter, Summerville was hit with its biggest challenge of the game when Cummings went down with an injury near the end of the first. Cummings took a big hit from Dutch Fork’s Raleigh Salters and fell to the ground while holding his leg and screaming in pain. 

The Green Wave were able to overcome the injury and finished that drive with a touchdown at the start of the second quarter. Jayven Williams ran up the middle for a 43-yard touchdown to put Summerville up 14-6. 

With Cummings out, Summerville turned to Cooper Kafina. He played well in relief and helped keep Summerville within reach until the final minutes. 

“[Kafina] stepped in and did a great job,” Knotts said. “I thought [Cummings] going down would change the game. I don't think it really did. [Kafina] didn't miss a beat.” 

Dutch Fork tied the game with eight minutes left in the first half. Offing found Bickley for their first touchdown of the game. The Silver Foxes went for two to tie it and converted when Offing hit Jayden Westbrook in the corner of the endzone. 

Summerville punted on its next possession but quickly got the ball back after a fumble from Offing. 

The Green Wave were backed up into a third and 20 before a pass interference penalty on Sessions made it third and five. Sessions immediately made up for his error and intercepted Kafina’s pass on the next play to keep Summerville off the scoreboard. 

Dutch Fork took the lead on this drive thanks in part to the Offing-Bickley connection. The pair connected on two more passes during this possession, including a 51-yard deep ball to move into Summerville territory. 

“I was using my moves on them. My speed. My ability to separate from the defender,” Bickley said. 

Anderson put the Silver Foxes back on top with an eight-yard run. The point-after try was good with just over a minute until halftime, Dutch Fork up 21-14. 

Dutch Fork looked to continue its scoring run in the second half, but first, Summerville had to receive the second-half kick. A long line drive led to some confusion for the Green Wave as the return team watched the ball roll downfield. Dutch Fork was able to jump on it and steal a possession inside Summerville’s 15. 

The Green Wave avoided a tough blow by holding Dutch Fork scoreless. The Silver Foxes ended up in fourth and one from the five and were stuffed short of the line to gain, turning the ball over. 

Summerville failed to score and failed to keep Dutch Fork off the scoreboard during the next Silver Fox drive. Offing and Bickley scored their second touchdown on a 20-yard pass play. Bickley ran his route and was wide open for the easy score. 

Dutch Fork now led 28-14 after a 22-point scoring run. 

“We just decided to play Dutch Fork football,” Knotts said. “We're always playing pretty decent defense, but we gave up some big plays. We just did the things that we were supposed to do.” 

Summerville scored its last touchdown on the first play of the following drive. Kafina found Kelly-Murray for a 77-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to one score. 

Dutch Fork punted on its last drive of the third, giving Sumemrville a chance to tie the game at the start of the fourth. The Green Wave moved the ball to the Dutch Fork 35, but a few penalties moved the ball back to the other side of midfield, forcing a punt. 

The Silver Foxes attempted a 39-yard field goal after getting the ball back, but the kick missed far right. 

Summerville took possession at their own 22 with plenty of time left in the game. The Green Wave converted a fourth down, but went backward on the next set of downs and punted with time ticking down. 

Anderson scored his third and final touchdown on an explosive 35-yard run to extend the lead to 14 points with just over two minutes to go. 

The Silver Foxes’ defense sealed the game on Summerville’s drive. The Green Wave made it just outside the red zone before Brown got his interception. Dutch Fork’s offense came out and took a knee, clinching the win and the state title. 

“My senior year, closing it out with a win, I couldn't ask for anything better,” Sessions said. 

Dutch Fork’s win makes the team the eighth school in South Carolina history to win at least nine football championships. Gaffney leads with 18, Abbeville has 13, Summerville has 12, Byrnes has 11, Woodruff has 10, Lake View has nine and Clinton has nine. All nine of Dutch Fork’s championships have come since 2013 and have all been under Knotts. 

For Knotts, it is his 16th state championship win as a head coach across both North and South Carolina. The legendary coach won seven state championships at Charlotte’s Independence and West Charlotte before coming to Dutch Fork. He now has the fourth most state titles amongst active coaches in the country and became the 17th coach to win at least 16 titles in the history of high school football. 

While 16 is nice, Knotts is already thinking about improvements for next season and talked about watching film and addressing errors after the game. To get Dutch Fork’s 10th and his 17th, he knows he has to keep the team motivated and not dwell on their previous success. 

“The climb to the top of the mountain is much easier than staying on the top. Trust me on that,” Knotts said. “We've got to find ways to innovate, keep working them, keep them motivated. I've said many times, success is a double-edged sword, and it can really give you a lot of confidence, but it can also destroy work ethic. So, we've got to make sure that we still maintain our good work ethic, even though we've won a bunch of titles in my years here.”