By Thomas Grant Jr.
Dutch Fork and Irmo emerged from a two-week absence to resume their respective quests for Class 5A titles.
In both cases, they posted lopsided wins in their second-round games at home.
The Silver Foxes defeated Boiling Springs 42-14 in the Class 5A Division I playoffs. Maurice Anderson had 96 of the team’s 206 rushing yards and two touchdowns and caught a 55-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ethan Offing.
Quarterback Ethan Offing rebounded from a quiet first half to throw for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Jayden Westbrook had a 38-yard punt return for a touchdown and K.J. Smith and Brayden Johnson both scored for the Silver Foxes.
With the win, Dutch Fork (10-0) improved to 15-0 in playoff openers under head coach Tom Knotts. It was also the 13th time in 15 season the Silver Foxes had posted double digit in wins.
This sets up a region rematch in the third round. For the second time in three weeks, Dutch Fork will face River Bluff at home.
The Silver Foxes won 41-14 on November 1 and have defeated the Gators in all nine meetings. Under Knotts, they are also 8-1 in in-season rematches.
The winner faces either J.L. Mann or Spartanburg in the Upper State final.
In Division I, Irmo was also involved in a region rematch. It was three wins ago when the Yellow Jackets routed the Eagles 55-21 behind Shrine Bowl quarterback A.J. Brand’s eight touchdowns.
The rematch had a similar margin of victory for Irmo, winning 38-7. Brand rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 113 yards and a touchdown to Donovan Murph. The Yellow Jackets also had two rushing touchdowns from Amire White.
Up next for Irmo (10-1) is West Florence at W.C. Hawkins Stadium. The winner faces either White Knoll or Berkeley in the Lower State final.
College updates
This weekend finds key contributors from Irmo-based schools on opposite sides of Saturday’s Clemson/South Carolina game in Death Valley.
On the Tigers’ side is sophomore wide receiver Antonio Williams of Dutch Fork.
Former Dutch Fork teammate running back Jarvis Green is also on the Clemson roster.
Playing for the visiting Gamecocks is safety Nick Emmanwari of Irmo High School. The junior has a team-high 78 tackles, four interceptions and two press breakups this season. He’s also a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week.
Saturday’s game will air at noon on ESPN.
This past weekend saw South Carolina State clinch a berth in the Cricket Celebration Bowl with a 53-21 win over Norfolk State.
Among the key contributors were starting offensive lineman Cam Johnson. He was part of an offense that produced 530 total yards and scored 50 or more points in two straight games.
“Me and Nick (Taiste of White Knoll) and Eric Brown, we’re the head of the group,” he said. “So we’re constantly on them every day about just playing free, playing relaxed and playing for each. Because when we play as five, we play as one and that the best way for our offense to keep going.”
South Carolina State’s roster also includes former Dutch Fork wide receivers Tyler Jones and Nicholas Sowell and former Irmo offensive lineman Eric Williams and running back Dedrick Starkes.
The Bulldogs will face the winner of the Southwest Athletic Conference championship game on December 14 in Atlanta, Georgia. The game will air on ABC.
Other local players whose seasons ended this past weekend:
LB Chandler Perry (Dutch Fork) of Charleston Southern – 25 tackles, four pass breakups and two sacks.
LB Jaylen Hinton (Dutch Fork) of Catawba – 62 tackles, three pass breakups and .5 sacks
Feature Photo: Dutch Fork wide receiver Boykin Bickley with the catch and run. Photo by GoFlashwin.com
