Senior Dutch Fork RB Maurice Anderson

By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer Columbia – With the 2024 football season drawn to a close, several Midlands teams had much to celebrate. Region 4-5A rivals Dutch Fork and Irmo reached the two SCHSL 5A state championship games in December. The Silver Foxes celebrated their ninth state championship after beating Summerville 35-21 in the Division 1 game and Irmo fell 34-31 against Northwestern in the Division 2 game. In November SCISA power Hammond won its eighth straight state championship with a 28-21 victory over Porter Gaud in the 4A final game. Richard Winn outplayed Laurens Academy 43-6 for the 8-man state championship, its first since 2014. Other notable playoff performances include Fairfield Central , which reached the 2A upper state championship game at Clinton , and Batesburg-Leesville , which had a surprising 12-1 season following its 5-6 effort in 2023. It was the Panthers’ first winning season since 2019. Dutch Fork claims ninth state championship The Silver Foxes made the regular season and playoffs look easy. With a roster heavy with 31 seniors hardened from a difficult yet successful 2023 state title win, Dutch Fork blew through the competition, never falling behind racking up six shutouts and outscoring opponents 474-73 going into the championship game. Summerville (13-1) gave the Silver Foxes a shock in the 5A Division 1 state championship game Dec. 13 when it went up 14-6 early in the second quarter. “Just stay the course,” Tom Knotts told the team by that point. “We knew there were some things we could do and we were shooting ourselves in the foot, we were letting our emotions take over, and we did some things really I thought were uncharacteristic of the way we played this year. We played in the first half like it was our first game of the year.” Dutch Fork did get things straight. Junior quarterback Ethan Offing connected with senior Boykin Bickley for a 19-yard touchdown pass, and then found Jalen Montgomery in the end zone for the game-tying 2-point conversion. B.J. Platts later powered into the end zone from eight yards out to give the Silver Foxes a 21-14 lead at the half. Offing found Bickley again for a 20-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-14 in the third quarter. After Summerville responded with a third-quarter touchdown, Platts’ 38-yard TD run with two minutes left in the game secured the win for the Silver Foxes. “This is a very deserving senior group,” Knotts said. “I wasn’t pleased with the way we won, 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.” Two senior defenders, Georgia Tech commit and cornerback/strong safety Elgin Sessions and South Carolina commit Josh Smith made the South Carolina Football Coaches Association’s All-Classification All-State team. Four seniors, running back Maurice Anderson , offensive lineman Cayden McFadden , defensive back Derek Smith and wide receiver K.J. Smith were selected to the 5A All-State Team. Late FG lifts Northwestern over Irmo in 5A Division 2 final Much like its crosstown rival, Irmo (12-2) breezed through the regular season under the leadership of passing and running quarterback A.J. Brand . The Virginia Tech commit passed for 2,600 yards and 21 touchdowns, and rushed for 2,029 yards and 27 touchdowns this season. The Yellow Jackets’ only slip was a 24-14 loss at Dutch Fork Nov. 8 to close out the regular season. The Yellow Jackets beat Chapin and West Florence convincingly, then hung on to beat White Knoll 29-25 to reach the 5A Division 2 championship game against unbeaten Northwestern Dec. 14. The Yellow Jackets led 17-10 after a Matthew Fish field goal early in the third quarter, but Brand ran for a touchdown to tie the game. After Irmo forced a turnover on downs, Brand rushed 20 yards for another score to put the Yellow Jackets up 24-17 early in the fourth quarter. Irmo’s first and only lead of the game was short-lived. Quarterback Finley Polk connected with Kameron Vance for two touchdowns to take a 31-24 lead with about four minutes to go. Brand, who finished the night 12-for-17 in passing for 151 yards and two touchdowns, and with 21 carries for 168 yards and two scores, connected with Donovan Murph for the game-tying touchdown pass in the final minute. Murph, who committed to South Carolina Jan. 2, had eight catches for 123 yards and two TDs. Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, Polk led the team 70 yards to the Irmo 10-yard line in that time. Fish lined up for a 27-yard field goal and hit it as time expired. “I know they hurt and I hurt also,” Coach Brand said. “We’ve got a bunch of winners. We’ve got a bunch of playmakers and our playmakers made plays. Unfortunately, we didn’t get enough stops and that early turnover. “Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you, and tonight was not our night and they got us at the end,” he added. “There's something to be said about going perfect all year. It is what it is. I don’t want to take anything away from them, but I wish we could get a couple of those drives back.” Murph, who had 1,328 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns on the year, made the All-Classification All State team, along with offensive lineman Ryan Love and Brand. Brand was selected for the all-purpose spot because of his passing and running for 4,629 total yards and 57 total touchdowns. Irmo reached the Division 2 championship by eliminating region rival White Knoll 29-25 Dec. 6. The Timberwolves finished the season 8-6. Defensive back Devin Geronomi made the All-Classification All-State team. Quarterback Landon Sharpe made the 5A All-State team. Hammond’s game-winning drive clinches eighth straight state championship The Hammond football team edged Porter Gaud 28-21 in the closing minute of the game Nov. 22 to claim yet another state championship, but the Skyhawks’ eighth straight state title and 22 nd in school history did not come easily. After Porter Gaud’s game-tying score and a Hammond fumble that nearly spelled disaster, the 13-0 Skyhawks made good on Andrew Turner’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Michael Tyler with 45 seconds left. “Just so proud of this group, their resilience, their fight,” Hammond head coach Jon Wheeler said after the game. “We’ve been down at halftime in three of our last four state championship games. This team is battle-tested and they rise to the occasion.” Porter Gaud tied the game at 21 on Tony Brown’s 1-yard touchdown run—the first play of the fourth quarter. The Cyclones drained the clock on that 51-yard drive, using 15 plays to tie the game with just under 12 minutes to go. Hammond lost the football on the next possession, which set Porter Gaud on the Skyhawks’ 17-yard line. Poised to take their first lead of the game, the Cyclones actually had a touchdown play shortly after taking over, but the play was called back for a holding penalty. After that flag, the Hammond defense forced Porter Gaud so far back that it had to punt from the Hammond 38. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of a defense because we were outmatched up front,” Wheeler said. “I’ve got to give credit to our defense for just fighting and fighting. I’m just so proud of them.” That stand gave the break that the Skyhawks offense needed to close out the game. They went 80 yards and drained the rest of the fourth quarter on the drive. When it came time for points on the board, Wheeler said he knew what play to run. “We haven’t tried a 40-yard field goal all year. Let’s put it in the hands of our senior quarterback, our senior offense, our skill players,” he said. “Let’s see if we can hit a pass and it’s déjà vu with Mike Tyler. And if we missed it, they’ve got 40 seconds and one time out, and they’re a running team, it’d go to overtime. Mike T and Andrew made a play, the offensive line protected, and that drive was unbelievable.” It was the second straight year that a Turner-to-Tyler connection won the state championship. Hammond beat Laurence Manning 28-21 in 2023. RWA claims first state football title since 2014 Richard Winn Academy’s surprise of a season ended on a happily unsurprising note Nov. 22 with a 43-6 victory over Laurens Academy at Wyman King Academy’s football field. Senior quarterback Charlie Bonds closed out his high school career rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns, and passing for 155 yards and two scores. As head coach Paul Brigman explained, as Charlie Bonds and his fellow seniors go, so goes the team. “It’s the leadership that we got from those senior guys most of all. Charlie Bonds has been one of our best guys,” Brigman said. “Charlie has led the team from ninth grade on and this group’s been together for a long time. They’ve been a joy to coach and so receptive to coaching and just wanting to get better. In the end it turned out like we wanted it to. It was a great win.” The Eagles (12-0) ran straight through the regular season with none of their games even close. Richard Winn’s dominance throughout the year was reminiscent of the school’s back-to-back 2A state championships in 1995-1996 under head coach David Porter . “We got the ball and scored and went from there. It’s kind of our plan the whole time,” Bonds said. “We couldn’t have done much better, I’ll say that.” Bonds led the offense throughout the year. Bonds went 52-for-69 in passing for 1,406 yards, 23 touchdowns and no interceptions, and rushing 107 times for 1,226 yards and 22 TDs. FC falls to Clinton in 2A upper state championship Fairfield Central’s drive to reach a state championship game for the first time in 27 years fell one game short. The Griffins, who won 12 straight games after a season-opening loss to 5A Ridge View, fell 32-21 to Clinton Friday night at the Red Devils’ Wilder Stadium. “If you would have told me back in May that we would have made it to the upper state championship, I would’ve looked at you like you was crazy,” 14-year head coach Demetrius Davis said about his team’s surprise year in which the Griffins caught fire early and outscored opponents 587-199 going into the Clinton game. “This team played like heck. This defense played, and let me tell you, man, I’m super proud of these kids,” Davis added. Senior running back and Shrine Bowl pick Ty’Darion Grier , who had 1,983 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns going into Friday, led Fairfield Central with 212 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Quarterback Kaden Diggs , who had 655 passing yards and 607 rushing yards before Friday, had a 19-yard touchdown run and 76 yards on 13 carries. B-L falls to Red Devils in 3 rd Round Although falling 31-14 to Clinton in the third round of the playoffs Nov. 29, Batesburg-Leesville celebrated a reawakening of its football team that has won five state championships. Since going 8-8 in 2019, The Panthers have won 15 out of 34 games going into the 2024 season. Greg Lawson , in his third season as head coach of Batesburg-Leesville, saw his team blossom. The Panthers showed themselves to be prolific scorers, outscoring opponents 493-21 on the year. The defense threw six shutouts. Batesburg-Leesville won the Region 2-2A championship easily, and blasted Columbia 42-6 and Andrew Jackson 49-14 in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Only Clinton, which went on to rout Barnwell 35-6 in the 2A state championship game Dec. 12, got the best of the Panthers. At 12-1, Batesburg-Leesville’s record is the best since 2013, when the Panthers went 12-2 and won the 2A state championship under Jerry Brown. RNE’s Wilson claims Mr. Football title Will Wilson , a wily and prolific quarterback who singlehandedly led Richland Northeast to an 8-4 record, was selected as the 30 th recipient of the South Carolina Mr. Football award. He is the 11 th quarterback to win the award. Wilson received the recognition at halftime of the Touchstone energy Cooperatives Bowl at Myrtle Beach’s Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium Dec. 21. Wilson, a North Carolina State signee, completed 66.7 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,482 yards and 22 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,144 yards and 20 touchdowns. He missed two games after having his knee scoped. Other finalists for the award were Westside quarterback Cutter Woods , Rock Hill wide receiver Malik Clark , Belton-Honea Path running back Marquiese Henderson , and Gaffney offensive lineman Shed Sarratt . Midlands Top 10 1. Dutch Fork (13-0, 5-0 Region 4-5A) 2. Irmo (13-2, 4-1 Region 4-5A) 3. River Bluff (10-3, 3-2 Region 4-5A) 4. Batesburg-Leesville (12-1, 5-0 Region 2-2A) 5. Fairfield Central (12-2, 4-0 Region 3-2A) 6. Hammond (13-0, 7-0 SCISA Region 4A) 7. Camden (9-3, 4-2 Region 3-4A) 8. Ridge View (8-5, 5-1 Region 5-5A) 9. Newberry (7-4, 4-0 Region 4-3A) 10. AC Flora (8-4, 4-2 Region 3-4A)

The Dutch Fork Silver Foxes claimed their 3 straight state championship with their 35-21 win over Summerville in the SCHSL Class 5A Div. 1 State Championship game in Oliver C. Dawson Stadium at SC State University. 

Dutch Fork's Junior QB Ethan Offing

By WORTHY EVANS HSSR Contributing Writer Columbia - Since Tom Knotts took over as head coach of the Dutch Fork football team, the Silver Foxes have won eight state championships in 11 years. For Knotts, who won seven state championships at two schools in North Carolina before coming to Irmo, every team is different, and every path to the end of the season requires different ways of thinking. This year’s Silver Foxes (12-0) started working toward its ninth state title immediately after winning its eighth last year against Region 4-5A rival White Knoll. That year’s team started 2-5 before reeling off eight straight wins to finish the season. Knotts has said or implied many times that the real intangible strength of this year’s Silver Foxes is in its 31 seniors. Those seniors, along with a host of junior starters, provide the strength of the team that was borne from that 2-5 stretch in 2023. “It really humbled us,” senior defensive back and Georgia Tech commit Elgin Sessions said. “It made some people lead who needed to lead, and it made other people step up who we wanted to step up. We were in an uncomfortable situation and we learned to be comfortable in it.” Added junior quarterback Ethan Offing , who split time with Jon Hunt under center last year, “Last year taught us adversity. We needed adversity to be successful at the end of the year, and by the playoffs we were ready after those losses. We knew what we had to do to win.” Since that shaky start to 2023, Dutch Fork has stretched its winning streak to 20 games and looks to extend it with a victory in Friday’s 5A Division I state championship game against Summerville (13-0) at South Carolina State’s Oliver C. Dawson stadium. After Tuesday’s practice, Knotts (177-28-1 at Dutch Fork, 473-88-1 in his career) said that his team has been preparing for Friday since the close of last season. “We have been diligent. We have been grinding, and really it’s probably too much, but you’ve got to keep up with the Joneses,” Knotts said. “I’ve been doing this long enough to where I think I’ve got a good feel for the pulse of the team and what we need to do to have ourselves ready.” Going back to when these seniors had risen out of a phenomenal junior-varsity team to reach the varsity level to help win the 2022 state championship, Knotts said that these seniors had a rude awakening in early 2023, and that’s what made them the power that the Silver Foxes have become. “They’re pros at what they’re doing, but the flip side to that is, they know it all,” Knotts said. “It was more of a mental thing with these guys than the physical. They didn’t always bear down and get to do everything that I wanted them to do, but they have really progressed each week and gotten better and better and more and more mature as the season’s gone on, and I’ve been real pleased with that.” Behind a front five that includes seniors Cayden McFadden at left tackle, Ky - Mani McLeish at left guard, and Josh Benson at right tackle, Offing has passed for 2,722 yards and 22 touchdowns to just four interceptions. His completion percentage is 67.9. He’s also rushed for 531 yards and eight touchdowns. “I wish we had more time to play and learn a little bit more, but he’s grasped every concept we’ve got. He corrects me sometimes when I screw something up because a lot of our plays are a little bit wordy,” Knotts said. “He’s completed more than 66 percent of his passes, and that’s pretty much unheard of in high school. He’s accurate, he’s got a cannon, He can throw with touch, he can rip it, he can throw the long ball. He’s a complete package. His big thing is let’s get this game mastered, and let the offense work for you.” Supporting Offing is senior running back Maurice Anderson , who has 1,032 yards and 19 touchdowns in addition to 38 catches for 490 and three touchdowns. Knotts said he possesses great finesse but can be physical when he needs to. “Sometimes I want him to run over them, so as the game goes along they’ll say this guy’s powerful and strong, ’cause he is powerful and strong,” he said of Anderson, who has an offer to play for The Citadel. “You should see him in the weight room. We want him to use that Friday and then after we punish them a little bit he can use that athletic ability he’s got. He’s got a good jump cut, a good stiff arm, he’s got a good spin move.” Senior wide receiver Boykin Bickley , who currently has 10 offers but has not yet made a commitment, is the top pass catcher on the team with 53 catches for 1,011 yards and seven touchdowns. Seniors K . J . Smith (48 catches, 615 yards, 9 TDs) and Jayden Westbrook (13 catches, 207 yards, one TD), and senior tight ends Boone Miller (8 catches, 84 yards) and Carlos Sexon (7 catches, 101 yards) round out the starting receivers. Dutch Fork has shut out six teams this season and has outscored opponents 474-73. What gives that offense a huge lift is a defense that plays shut-down ball through four quarters. The Silver Foxes have never trailed opponents through 12 games. Sessions leads the secondary with 36 tackles, three for loss. He has two interceptions, both of which he returned for touchdowns. Linebackers Josh Smith , a senior and South Carolina commit, and junior Raleigh Salters , play havoc in the offensive backfield. Smith has a team-leading 91 tackles, 16 for loss, and nine sacks. Salters has 72 stops, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, and two interceptions. Senior Daniel Williams and junior Julian Walker are the starting defensive ends. Williams has 57 tackles and a team-high 26 tackles for loss, in addition to nine sacks. Walker, who has an offer from USC, has 44 stops, 16 for loss and nine sacks. As a team, the Silver Foxes had 36 sacks,122 tackles for loss, and have allowed 2,374 yards over 12 games, a 197.8-yards per game average, which is small compared with Dutch Fork’s offensive yardage of 4,927 yards, or 410.6 yards per game. “I’ve been fortunate to have great defensive coordinators and some great defensive teams,” Knotts said. “This one is special now. There’s a lot of older guys but there’s a good mix of young kids in there. I don’t know how to rank them. Certainly statistically wise they’re probably in the top three or four defenses that we’ve ever coached. It makes it easy a lot of times to call offense.” Williams, a leader in a defense full of leaders and veterans, said that the key phrase for his side of the football is Attention to Detail.  “We like that phrase,” he said. “It starts on film, breaking down film, their tendencies on first down, second down, third down, what they like to do, their bread and butter, and we expand from there. When a lot of people buy in, you can do special things. Eleven people bought in and this is the result.”

A championship season deserves championship recognition when your school makes it to the biggest game of the season. This past Friday, the Upper State Champions and Lower State Champions were decided. Now, these teams go to SC State University’s Oliver C. Dawson Stadium for “the cherry-on-top” of an already successful season and compete for the title of State Champion . Every school playing this week is a Champion. Now is the time for schools and parents to celebrate making it to the State Championship Game. After all, your team made it further than any other team in your region and classification. Every team and every player earned their spot in State Championship game. The Championship Game Programs capture those life-long memories made during this season, culminating in getting to the state title game. Let’s celebrate the achievement of your student athletes. The SCHSL has the HSSR produce the official, full color, championship game program. This is a valuable keepsake for parents and students to mark the conclusion of a great football season. For each game, the HSSR produces two unique programs that are tailored to the Upper State Champion and Lower State Champion with ad from their supporters and the opposing team’s roster included to know who is on the field. In previous years and in addition to the parents, businesses, and alumni supporting the school, other sports have used half or full-page ads to show their support and highlight their own accomplishments along with a team photo. We have ads from baseball, softball, basketball, and cheer to mention a few that congratulate the football and show their support. The official game program ads earn double credit so your ad supporting your school, your team, and your student athlete also supports continuing sports coverage for your school and all other student athletes for another school year. The High School Sports Report monthly edition goes to over 250 colleges and universities athletic departments.

By Billy G. Baker Publisher  Moncks Corner —The region winners in the AAAAA SCHSL football classification all received byes for the first round of the play-offs that started on November, 15 th so if any upsets are brewing involving the top seeded teams in the two divisions we will have to wait until Nov., 22 nd for that to possibly happen. In the Upper State AAAAA D-1 a bye went to number one rated Dutch Fork (9-0) and they will play the winner of the Boiling Springs (6-3) versus Dorman (6-3) in a week two in Irmo. Rock Hill (5-5) received a bye and they will play the winner of the Mauldin (2-8) versus River Bluff (8-2) game in week two. JL Mann (8-2) got a bye and they await the winner of the Blythewood versus Clover (7-3) game on Nov., 15. Number four- rated Spartanburg , fresh off a close game loss with rival Gaffney awaits the winner of Lexington versus Byrnes in week one. In Lower State Div. I Summerville (10-0) has a bye and they await the winner between Fort Dorchester and Stratford. Cane Bay , a winner over Berkeley last week, received a bye and they await the winner between Spring Valley and Ridge View. Carolina Forest has a round one bye and they await the winner between Wando and James Island . Highly regarded Sumter (9-0) has a first- round bye and they will host the winner between West Ashley and Ashley Ridge on Nov. 15. Now, we move on to Div. II AAAAA: In the Upper state number one rated Northwestern (10-0) will host the winner between Eastside and Indian Land on Nov., 15. Greenwood received a first- round bye and they will host the winner of the nation Ford versus Hillcrest first round game on Nov., 15. T.L Hanna earned a bye and they await the winner of the Woodmont versus Catawba Ridge winner in round two. Gaffney , fresh off of a come from behind win over Spartanburg that clinched the region title, awaits the winner of the Greenville versus Riverside game. In the Lower state Div. II AAAAA: Irmo (9-1), fresh off of a loss to Dutch Fork , awaits the winner between Goose Creek and Chapin in week one. West Florence has a week one bye and they will host the winner between Lucy Beckham and North Myrtle Beach in round two. Berkeley has earned a bye and they await the winner between Socastee and Westwood in round one. Finally, Myrtle Beach earned a first- round bye and they await the winner between Lugoff - Elgin and White Knoll from first round action. The HSSR predicts that Dutch Fork and Summerville will emerge as respective bracket winners in Div. I AAAAA and will meet in the gold medal round at South Carolian State University on Friday Dec., 13 at 2 p.m. Tom Knotts , the head coach at Dutch Fork, told the HSSR after his 24-14 big win over Irmo last week, ““I pay attention to Dutch Fork, but now that I’ve played Irmo, these are the two best teams in the state,” said Coach Knotts after the Irmo win. “They’re going to be in the smaller (school size) 5A and we’re in the larger 5A, so thank goodness we don’t have to play them again and they’re probably saying thank goodness they don’t have to play us again. “We like to get to this time of year, the kids behave better, they focus better, they lift better, they meet better,” Knotts said. “This is our time of year. We’re used to it.” Summerville head coach Ian Rafferty shared these thoughts about the play-offs, ““Unfortunately we will have to play some teams we’ve already seen in the playoffs but it is what it is,” said Coach Rafferty. “Against Fort Dorchester we did some uncharacteristic things on special teams and turned the ball over near the goal line, but moving forward the key is the way our guy’s work. We have kind of built a good mentality throughout the season and just work and show up to play on game night. Basically, we just need to be the Green Wave.” The Summerville offense spreads the ball around and the team suffered some key injuries on both sides of the ball this season so a lot of players have seen action and contributed to the second consecutive undefeated regular season. In Div. II AAAA, the HSSR predicts a Northwestern versus Gaffney final in the gold medal round scheduled for 06 p.m. on December, 14 at South Carolina State University. Gaffney head coach Dan Jones told the HSSR after his win over Spartanburg last week, “Coach Jones said that during the bye week Gaffney would stay focused on getting ready to compete in the second round of the play-offs on November, 22. “We will study film and lift weights on Monday but we will have three full practices on Tuesday through Thursday,” said Coach Jones. “We will be hard-at-work getting ready to play wither Greenville or Riverside.” For the regular season, the Gaffney offense produced 1,423 yards rushing and 1,849 yards passing and that defines a balanced attack on offense. Gaffney out-scored teams 275-139. Northwestern , led by veteran QB Finley Polk has dominated teams 514-158 this year. Head coach Paige Wofford has done a great job coaching the Trojans for the past several years and his team is expected to plow through the competition in the play-offs on the way to the finals.

Dutch Fork senior WR, K.J. Smith looking for more yardage.

Gaffney's Jaiden McDowell on the carry.