The Dutch Fork football team punched its ticket to the 5A Division I Upper State championship with a 52-14 win over region rival River Bluff in the third round of the postseason. 

It was a total domination by the Silver Foxes who led 24-0 at the half. It is the ninth straight trip to the semifinals for Dutch Fork and the 12th trip under head coach Tom Knotts. 

“This is what we play for. This is our time of the year,” Knotts said after the game. “We're happy and fortunate to be here. We got no injuries, so we're ready to go.” 

The contest against River Bluff was the second meeting between the two teams this season. The Silver Foxes won 41-14 in the first match and scored 11 more points in this game. The Gators had no answers for the Dutch Fork offense as the Silver Foxes scored on all but three of its 10 drives.

Running back Maurice Anderson led the way for Dutch Fork with over 150 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He also played a part in the passing game, catching five passes for 45 yards. 

Quarterback Ethan Offing finished the game completing 12 of 15 pass attempts for over 150 yards. He also used his legs to make place, scrambling for over 50 yards and two touchdowns. 

“We got the running game going at first, which we hadn't been doing, so we were real pleased with that,” Knotts said. 

For River Bluff, running back Hayden Myers rushed for over 90 yards. Receivers Aaron Griffin and Stephen Collier each caught a touchdown pass, and quarterback Brayden Moore finished with over 100 yards passing. 

Dutch Fork was held to a 37-yard field goal on the game’s opening drive, but the touchdowns started stacking on the next. The Silver Foxes extended the lead to 10-0 with Anderson’s first touchdown, coming off a five-yard run. 

River Bluff got the ball back and made it to about midfield before attempting to convert on a fourth and two. Dutch Fork’s defense locked in and stuffed Myers short of the line to gain, and the Silver Foxes took over in their own territory. 

Dutch Fork took advantage of the positive field position and extended the lead to 17-0 on a two-yard Ethan Offing touchdown run. 

The Gators punted again on its next drive, but the defense came up big on the following Dutch Fork possession for its first stop of the game.

River Bluff put together another solid drive that resulted in no points. The Gators attempted and converted a fake field goal try on fourth down to move into the red zone. The drive stalled and the team lined up for another fourth down attempt but the snap sailed past Moore’s head and Dutch Fork recovered. 

The Silver Foxes drove downfield and scored the half’s final points on a five-yard rush by Offing. 

River Bluff came out with some fight in the second half. Trailing by 24, the Gators needed to make plays fast, and they did. 

On the first play of the second half, Moore launched a deep ball to Griffin who caught it and ran into the endzone for a 68-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 24-7. 

River Bluff’s defense also came out with some fight, forcing a Dutch Fork turnover on its first possession in the third quarter. The Gators took over in positive territory with a chance to cut it to a two-possession game. 

The Gators’ momentum came to a halt on the ensuing offensive drive. The team failed to find the endzone and settled for a field goal try. 

What would’ve been a chip shot for reliable kicker Tripp Bryant, turned into a disaster after Dutch Fork’s Josh Smith leaped over the offensive line and blocked the kick. The ball was then scooped by Jarvis Jackson, who returned it 73 yards for a touchdown. Now instead of a two-possession game, River Bluff trailed 31-7. 

“That's what we do. There's been several games in our history where we've blocked a field goal or we've made a big play in the special teams,” Knotts said. “That was a big play. They had a little momentum, could have cut it to 14 I believe, and it got away from there at the end.” 

Dutch Fork continued to run up the score, earning three more touchdowns in the game. Anderson scored his second on a 16-yard run, K.J. Smith ran one in from nine yards and Quinton Wilson scored from 10 yards.  

Up so big, the Silver Foxes were able to give their starters some rest and get some of the younger players, including Knotts's son Jaxosn, some crucial experience. 

“Bunch of guys that you saw at the end, they're going to be starters next year,” Coach Knotts said. “It's good to see how they did, how they matched up, and they got another year to grow and get bigger and stronger. We'll really study the film with them hard and see how they did and what we got to do to get them better.” 

River Bluff concludes its season 10-3 in the third round of the postseason. It was the first 10-win season in program history. The Gators finished third in region play a year after finishing winless. 

Dutch Fork advanced to its 12th semifinal game under coach Knotts. Since his arrival, the team has never lost in the semifinal round. 

The Silver Foxes will host another familiar foe next week in Spartanburg. Dutch Fork handled the Vikings in week zero, winning 24-7. It’s been 14 weeks since then, so expect an improved Spartanburg team. 

“They got a great scheme. They got great facilities up there in Spartanburg,” Coach Knotts said. “I'm glad they're coming here to play. We like playing here. I think it'll be great.” 

Playoff Area Scoreboard 

Irmo: 56, West Florence: 7 

White Knoll: 23, Berkeley: 3 

North Augusta: 63, Gilbert: 14

Clinton: 31, Batesburg-Leesville: 14