It was a battle for the Region 4-5A title Oct. 27 the top-ranked Dutch Fork Silver Foxes traveled to third-ranked Lexington. 

The Silver Foxes made a statement with another dominating win over a region opponent, taking home the title with a 63-7 final score.

It was their 45th consecutive regular-season win over an in-state team, its 41st straight road win and 32nd consecutive region win. This also marked the 14th consecutive year the Silver Foxes either won or shared the region title under head coach Tom Knotts. 

Dutch Fork had already been chewing up their region schedule, most recently posting a 56-7 win over River Bluff. Lexington's most recent region win saw them outlast White Knoll in overtime, 36-33. 

With each team boasting high scoring offenses and stingy defensive units, something would have to give for one or the other to prevail. It was the Wildcat defense, which gave up 21 points in the first quarter as the Lexington offense struggled to put together long drives. 

The Silver Foxes relied on big plays and the running of Jarvis Green to continue to roll up points as they led at halftime 49-7. 

The Silver Foxes (9-1, 4-0) picked up right where they left off in the second half, scoring in the opening minutes of the third quarter to go up 56-7. The Wildcats never managed to find a way back into the game. 

Green finished with six touchdowns, five on the ground and one from a reception. He notched 196 rushing yards and 93 receiving yards. 

“He’s the real deal,” said Knotts after the game when asked about Green’s performance. “He can do it all - catch, run, he has speed and elusiveness, and he can block. He’s just the complete package. I don’t understand why head coaches Dabo (Swinney of Clemson) and (Shane) Beamer (of South Carolina) aren’t fighting over him.”

The Silver Foxes dominance was on full display again, and Knotts admits that it has gone like this for them most of the season.

“Our region play has been pretty much all like this, we have mostly shut everyone out,” he said. “They were able to move the ball on us a lot in the first half. They have a tough offense. We rallied, though, and did what we were supposed to do.”

The Wildcats (8-2, 3-1), even with tonight’s loss, will play host to a Lower State opening round playoff game next week, something coach Perry Woolbright was quick to remind his players after the game. 

“We did what we wanted to do this season to get us a home playoff game, and this was a good learning experience that will help get us focused for the next four weeks,” he said. 

Nodding toward the Dutch Fork sideline, he concluded with a reference to the fact that they play in the Upper State bracket while Lexington is in Lower State: 

“Our goal now is to play that team again in five weeks,” Woolbright said.