By Thomas Grant Jr.
There’s a higher level of urgency around the Dutch Fork football program than usual.
With two games remaining, the Silver Foxes will not win a share of the region title for the first time under head coach Tom Knotts. They also find themselves in the position where another loss not only means the program’s first losing season under Knotts but also makes their repeat quest even more challenging.
So it’s not surprising for Dutch Fork to view Friday’s matchup with River Bluff as a “one-game season”.
“It is playoff time for us and that’s what we’ve been preaching,” Knotts said. “October’s playoff time. We want to own October. We didn’t play very good against White Knoll (a 17-14 loss). I totally take the blame for that. We played better against Chapin (a 41-8 win).
“I feel like we’re really starting to click now. I’m really pleased with that. Our seniors are really starting to step up. I’d say better late than never. I don’t matter how you start; it’s how you finish and that’s where we are right now.”
The same could be said for the Gators (5-3, 0-2). Having dropped two straight region games, another loss would put it in position to play for the final playoff spot next week against Chapin.
How the offense performs the rest of the way will depend on consistency in all facets. From the blocking of the offensive line and wide receivers to the quarterbacks avoiding “up and down” play, Knotts said the running backs with Maurice Anderson have stood out the most.
Defensively, the Silver Foxes are still holding opponents to 17 points per game. The secondary has Peyton Betts with a team-high four interceptions and Bryce Nutall and Dakota Jordan are among the leaders in sacks.
“They are playing a lot better than they played earlier,” Knotts said. “We’ve been able to mix our coverages up. We’ve been able to mix a little bit of man in. They’ve got a bunch of interceptions and PBUs (pass breakups). For the most part pleased with the DBs, but there are still some things they can improve on, and I think they know it and that’s a good thing. They’ve owned their mistakes. They know what they need to improve on. Hopefully, we’ll get those things straightened out this week and not have any secondary issues.”
Dutch Fork is a perfect 7-0 against the Gators, winning by an average margin of 41 points.
Photo by GoFlashwin.com – Dutch Fork running back Trenton Lodge
