For the first 36 minutes of their game Friday night, White Knoll and Dutch Fork played neck and neck. The final 12 were a completely different story. 

Dutch Fork scored 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points to overcome a 24-20 deficit and return to the fox den with a 41-24 win. White Knoll let the game slip away after committing a few costly turnovers on offense. 

“Turnovers are what kill you at any level of football,” Silver Foxes head coach Tom Knotts said. “We were able to produce when we got the turnovers. That was the change of the game right there.”

The Silver Foxes’ offense operated smoothly all night, recording over 330 yards of total offense. The Timberwolves' offense was also highly productive, finishing with almost 400 yards, but two interceptions and two lost fumbles were the difference. 

“ Coach Knotts made a career out of when the opposition gives you a chance, you capitalize on it. When one good thing happens, you keep building more and more, and we're trying to get to that point,” Timberwolves head coach Nick Pelham said. “I worked for coach Knots for five years, and he's made my life miserable because I know the standard of being a great coach, and I'm not there yet.”

Quintin Wilson had a big game on the ground for Dutch Fork. He ran for over 100 yards and scored three touchdowns. Kyle Henry ran for a touchdown, and Sheldon Shine also took a few handoffs. 

Quarterback Jaxon Knotts finished with around 150 yards and a touchdown. Stone Furrey was his top target, catching three passes for over 80 yards and a touchdown. 

For White Knoll, quarterback Jhais McKiever led the team with over 130 rushing yards, 170 passing yards and three rushing touchdowns. 

“I love his calming presence. He’s so calm right now,” Pelham said of his quarterback. “ He's become a really good quarterback for us. I'm just excited to see how much better he can get.”

Dutch Fork struck first in the game’s opening period. The Silver Foxes built a 13-0 lead 10 minutes into the game after a pair of touchdowns from Wilson. 

White Knoll responded quickly in the second quarter, scoring two touchdowns of its own to take a 14-13 lead less than five minutes into the quarter. McKiever found the endzone on both possessions. He took the ball and ran up the middle both times, dodging would-be tacklers on his way to the goal line. 

Dutch Fork attempted a 32-yard field goal try on their next possession, but the kick attempt was no good. White Knoll took over but immediately gave the ball back after McKiever’s pass was intercepted on the first play. 

From there, Dutch Fork marched downfield where Wilson scored a one-yard touchdown run, completing his first half hat trick. 

The Timberwolves got the ball back one more time and kicked a 36-yard field goal before the half. The try bounced off the goalpost and through the uprights, cutting the deficit to three at the break. 

White Knoll scored the only points in the third quarter, but it took a while to happen. 

The Timberwolves received the ball to start the half, but during the drive, a high snap over the quarterback's head was recovered by Dutch Fork. The Silver Foxes were unable to capitalize on this turnover and punted. 

White Knoll’s next drive was a long one. The team faced multiple and-long scenarios on the drive but converted each one. The drive concluded when McKiever, again, took the ball, ran up the gut, avoided tacklers and scored. This time, he ran it in from 25 yards away. 

 ”We never did stop the quarterback run between the tackles when they went empty,” Knotts said. “We’ve got to figure out what to do when we’ve got a dynamic quarterback.”

The Timberwolves' momentum came to a screeching halt in the fourth quarter. 

Dutch Fork started with a quarterback run for a touchdown seven seconds into the period to retake the lead. The Silver Foxes then forced a White Knoll fumble in its own territory, setting Dutch Fork up with great field position. The team took two plays before scoring a 36-yard passing touchdown to go up 34-24.

White Knoll’s next drive also ended in a catastrophe after a screen pass was picked off. Dutch Fork made the most of another free possession and scored the game’s final points off a four-yard touchdown run. 

White Knoll’s last hope came on its following possession. The team got a couple plays off and moved into the redzone before turning the ball over on downs. 

With just over two minutes left in the game, Dutch Fork got the ball back, killed the clock and held off a White Knoll upset.

“I thought it was going to come down to the last possession,” Knotts said. “ We're still not a typical Dutch Fork team, but we're working towards it. We're really getting closer.” 

White Knoll fell to (5-2) and (1-1) in region play following the loss. The team has another big matchup set this week against Irmo. 

“We’ve got big goals,” Pelham said. “We’ve got to get better to reach those goals, and when we do, I can’t wait to see how excited our kids and our parents are.

Dutch Fork improved to (5-1) overall and (2-0) in region games. The Silver Foxes will be back on the field this week against Lexington. 

“Maybe next week we’ll see the real Dutch Fork,” Knotts said. 

Week 7 scoreboard

Dutch Fork: 41, White Knoll: 24

Irmo: 56, River Bluff: 14

Lexington: 29, Chapin: 7

Brookland-Cayce: 20, Aiken: 19

Gray Collegiate: 62, Airport: 7

Gilbert: 21, Midland Valley: 14

Strom Thurmond: 54, American Leadership: 0

Batesburg-Leesville: 49, Ninety Six: 14

Saluda: 51, Pelion: 7

Orangeburg Prep: 28, Northside Christian: 15