Dutch Fork Silver Foxes in 2022 football state championship: How they got there

Lou Bezjak
·8 min read

A look at how Dutch Fork got to this year’s Class 5A high school football state championship game. The Silver Foxes play Fort Dorchester in the title game at noon Saturday at Benedict College’s Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.

Team history

Dutch Fork opened in 1992 and has had two head football coaches in its history: Bill Kimrey and Tom Knotts. Prior to Knotts’ arrival in 2010, the Silver Foxes made one trip to the Lower State championship in 2006 and lost to Irmo. In that playoff run, Dutch Fork beat a Summerville team that featured future NFL star A.J. Green.

Since 2010, the Silver Foxes have been one of the most dominant programs in the Carolinas. They are playing in their 10th state title game in the past 11 seasons. Dutch Fork won a state-record five-straight Class 5A championships from 2016-20. The Silver Foxes had a 62-game unbeaten streak during that span before they lost to Gaffney in the state championship game last season. Dutch Fork has finished nationally ranked on several occasions over the past decade.

Star football alums

Some of the more notable Dutch Fork football alumni include Erik Kimrey (player at USC, coach at Hammond, USC and Baylor School, Tenn.); the late Mike Gasparato (Penn State); 2014 South Carolina Mr. Football Matt Colburn (Wake Forest/XFL/NFL); Chad Geter (Gardner Webb/CFL); Tyler Bass (kicker with Buffalo Bills); Bryce Thompson (Tennessee/NFL); Ty Olenchuk (Clemson); 2019 Mr. Football finalist Jalin Hyatt (Tennessee); and Will Taylor (Clemson baseball/football).

Head coach

Tom Knotts was hired at Dutch Fork in January 2010, and the Silver Foxes have played for 10 state championships in his 13 seasons. Dutch Fork won the school’s first state title in 2013 and will go for its seventh title Saturday. If Knotts earns that seventh title, he would tie Dillon’s Jackie Hayes and Abbeville’s Jamie Nickles for third-most in South Carolina. Woodruff’s W.L. Varner and Summerville’s John McKissick are tied at No. 1 with 10 titles. Knotts’ record is 154-23-1 at Dutch Fork.

Prior to Dutch Fork, he coached at West Charlotte, Harding and Independence high schools in North Carolina, winning 296 games and seven championships in that state. Six of Knotts’ seven N.C. state titles came at Independence, which had a 109-game winning streak. Knotts left for one year during the streak and was an assistant at Duke before going back to Independence.

This year’s top Silver Foxes

▪ QB Aliam Appler: Completing 64% of his passes for 1,519 yards and 15 TDs. Also has rushed for 470 yards and 12 TDs.

▪ RB Jarvis Green: Mr. Football finalist has rushed for 2,071 yards, 30 TDs, caught 33 passes for 478 yards and five touchdowns, and returned two kickoffs for scores. School’s second all-time leading rusher for his career. Committed to play college football for James Madison.

▪ WR Isaiah Jones: Has caught 32 passes for 570 yards and three touchdowns

▪ WR Jacob Hamilton: Caught 30 passes for 598 yards and five touchdowns.

▪ OL Jacob Beasley: 6-foot-6 tackle is one of the anchors on the Silver Foxes’ offensive line.

▪ DL John Buetow: Second on the team with 96 tackles, leads team with 16 tackles for loss and tied for team lead with five sacks.

▪ DL Dakota Jordan: Has 57 tackles, 12 for loss and tied for lead with five sacks.

▪ LB: Jaylen Hinton: Leads team with 135 tackles and seven QB hurries.

▪ LB Chandler Perry: Has 76 tackles, nine for loss, two sacks and two interceptions. Committed to Charleston Southern.

▪ DB Landon Danley: Virginia commit has 53 tackles and is tied for team lead with four interceptions.

▪ DB J’Von Mack: Has 44 tackles, tied for lead with four interceptions and second on team with eight pass break-ups

▪ K Justin Welch: Is 7-of-9 field goals and 78-of-81 on extra points this year.

The 2022 season

▪ Aug. 18: Dutch Fork 27, Hough (N.C.) 24: Game was part of Charlotte’s Kickoff Night. Quarterback Aliam Appler threw a TD, ran for a score and Jarvis Green sealed the game returning an onside kick for a touchdown.

▪ Aug. 26: Dutch Fork 27, Spartanburg 25: Justin Welch hit a 29-yard field goal as time expired to give the Silver Foxes a thrilling road victory. The game was delayed by weather with the final play ending after midnight. Jarvis Green carried it seven times on the final drive and finished with 306 yards rushing and two scores. Landon Danley added 62 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The Silver Foxes played the second half without quarterback Aliam Appler, who left with an injury.

▪ Sept. 3: Dutch Fork 21, Creekside (Ga.) 13: Game was part of the Cam Newton Classic in Georgia. Jarvis Green finished with 177 yards rushing and two touchdowns, including a TD with 1:59 left. Creekside had a chance to tie on the final possession but Jaylen Hinton intercepted a pass on the Silver Foxes’ 30-yard line.

▪ Sept. 9: Dutch Fork 64, Stratford 7: Chandler Perry had an 80-yard kickoff for a touchdown and returned an interception for a score in Dutch Fork’s win. Backup quarterback Jon Hunt threw for 175 yards and a TD. Dutch Fork played the game without Aliam Appler and Jarvis Green (injuries). Jacob Hamilton had five receptions for 137 yards and a score.

▪ Sept. 16: Dutch Fork 49, North Augusta 7: Marquice McGuire rushed for 191 yards and three touchdowns in place of starter Jarvis Green, who missed his second straight game with a hamstring injury. Quarterback Jon Hunt threw for 122 yards and a touchdown. Isaiah Jones had four catches for 105 yards and a TD.

▪ Sept. 23: St. Frances (Md.) 26, Dutch Fork 7: The Silver Foxes’ 43-game unbeaten regular-season winning streak was snapped by the nationally ranked St. Frances program. Dutch Fork was able to hold its own on the defensive end and Chandler Perry’s 41-yard interception return cut the Panthers’ lead to 8-7 with 8:41 left in the first half. But St. Frances answered with a pair of Michael Van Burren-to-Kyre Benton touchdowns.

▪ Oct. 7: Dutch Fork 52, White Knoll 0: Dutch Fork began Region 4-5A play with its first shutout of the season. Running back Jarvis Green rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns for the Silver Foxes. Quarterback Aliam Appler had 209 yards of total offense and three touchdowns.

▪ Oct. 14, Dutch Fork 51, Chapin 0: Running back Jarvis Green rushed for 159 yards and three touchdowns, all before halftime. QB Aliam Appler threw for 127 yards and rushed for two touchdowns. Jacob Hamilton returned a punt for a touchdown. The Silver Foxes’ defense gave up just 45 yards in their second-straight shutout.

▪ Oct. 21: Dutch Fork 56, River Bluff 7: Running back Jarvis Green tied a school-record with seven touchdowns, all in the first half. Green’s seven touchdowns tied Stephen Davis Jr.’s record set in 2014 against Boiling Springs. Green finished with 191 yards rushing and five touchdowns, and also caught four passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Aliam Appler was 10-of-13 passing for 257 yards and three touchdowns. Dutch Fork outgained River Bluff 534-184.

▪ Oct. 28: Dutch Fork 63, Lexington 7: The Silver Foxes captured the Region 4-5A championship with a convincing win over Lexington. It was the 14th-straight year Dutch Fork has won or shared a region title. Running back Jarvis Green had 289 all-purpose yards and six TDs. Quarterback Alliam Appler was 13-of-16 passing for 225 yards and two total touchdowns. Dutch Fork outgained Lexington 565-165 and held Wildcats leading rusher Jonah Norris to 30 yards.

▪ Nov. 4: Dutch Fork 56, Mauldin 0: The Silver Foxes notched their third shutout of the year in winning their playoff opener. Aliam Appler threw for 193 yards, ran for 61 and had four total touchdowns. Jarvis Green rushed for 151 yards, two touchdowns and caught five passes for 102 yards and a score. The Silver Foxes outgained Mauldin 558-104 and the defense recorded five sacks.

▪ Nov. 11: Dutch Fork 35, Dorman 18: Jarvis Green finished with 246 yards and three touchdowns and also had 61 yards receiving as the Silver Foxes won the matchup of ranked teams in second round of the playoffs. Green’s biggest play came on a 69-yard run on third-and-4 in the fourth quarter to seal the game. Dutch Fork’s defense held Dorman to 229 yards. The Cavaliers came into the game averaging 412 yards and 37.9 points a game.

▪ Nov. 18: Dutch Fork 63, Spartanburg 14: The Silver Foxes defeated Spartanburg for the second time this season but this one wasn’t close. Aliam Appler was 8-of-13 passing for 214 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran for a TD. Jarvis Green rushed for 191 yards and scored three times. All of their yardage came in the first half as Dutch Fork led 49-7 at halftime. Isaiah Jones caught four passes for 76 yards and a TD and Jacob Hamilton had a 79-yard TD catch.

▪ Nov. 25, Dutch Fork 51, Gaffney 28: The Silver Foxes avenged the loss in last year’s championship game with a win at Gaffney in the Upper State championship. Dutch Fork is only the third team since 1982 to win a playoff game at Gaffney. The Silver Foxes scored 50 or more points for the sixth time in the last seven games. Quarterback Aliam Appler had 225 total yards, threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more. Jarvis Green ran for a touchdown, caught a TD and returned a kickoff for a score. Green’s kickoff return came at a pivotal moment after Gaffney cut the Dutch Fork lead to 30-20 with 7:19 left in the third quarter. It was Green’s second kickoff return for a TD this season, which sets a school record. He finished with 322 all-purpose yards.

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