Dutch Fork football earns fifth title, cheer state finals next week

By CT McDonald

With the 28-6 victory against T. L. Hanna (7-1) in the Class 5A football state finals last week, the Silver Foxes notched their fifth consecutive state championship for the program and set a record.

In addition to setting another school record, Dutch Fork becomes the only public high school varsity football program to win five consecutive state championships, according to South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) records.

Florence, Woodruff, Byrnes, Christ Church, Dillon and Abbeville previously won four straight state titles each, and now the Silver Foxes are alone with five.

With a lot of hard work and dedication, the Silver Foxes (10-0) completed another season undefeated.

 

Competitive Cheer

Competitive cheer qualifying competition is being held this week, with the state finals planned next week at Florence.

The 4A qualifier was at Irmo High School on Wednesday, and the 5A qualifier is set for Saturday at Dorman High School. Midlands Class 3A qualifying rounds were at Lower Richland High School on Monday, while the upper 3A round is set for Thursday at Chesnee High.

Teams that qualify for the finals will compete at the Florence Center in Florence Saturday, December 19. At Florence, 3A competition is to get under way at 10 am, followed by 4A teams at 2 pm and 5A at 6 pm.

Chapin is the two-time defending 5A state champion, having won the state title the previous two seasons — 2016-17 and 2017-18 — as a 4A team, giving the Eagles four consecutive state championships.

Dutch Fork won the 5A state title back-to-back in 2016-17 and 2017-18 after winning in 2014-15 as a 4A competitor.

But both schools have won the state title before in various classifications (3A, 4A, 5A, etc.). According to the SCHSL, Chapin holds the record for the most state titles, with 15, while Dutch Fork is second, with seven, in a tie with Liberty High School.

Photos by Chris Record, GoFlashWin.com