Dutch Fork brings a tradition of excellence

Published 3:18 pm Friday, August 18, 2023

MOULTRIE – On paper, as they say, the Dutch Fork football team that has traveled from Irmo, S.C., to meet Colquitt County at 7 p.m. Saturday in The Hawg Pen, does not appear to be as formidable as the 2022 state champion Silver Foxes.

Running back Jarvis Green, who gained 2,272 yards, averaged 9.8 yards a carry and scored 33 touchdowns, has decamped to Clemson.

Aliam Appler, a solid quarterback who threw for 1,698 yards, has graduated, as have a number of other key components of the team that went 14-1 and won its state championship game by a 47-10 score.

But Colquitt County head coach Sean Calhoun is not letting Dutch Fork’s apparent lack of experience turn his head.

“They have players who know how to win,” Calhoun said this week. “And that is an underrated characteristic that a lot of people don’t talk about.

“Their guys have won some championships.”

Six in the last seven years, to be exact. And the year Dutch Fork did not win, it was the state runner-up.

And it starts at the top, where coach Tom Knotts has 14 state championships, seven in North Carolina and seven at Dutch Fork.

Knotts has 451 career victories. His record in playoff games is 46-6, 7-3 in state finals with the Silver Foxes.

And his teams have mastered the art of pounding their opposition into submission.

“They want to run the football,” Calhoun said. “They’ve got a big offensive line and some big tight ends.

“They’ve won a lot of games doing that. They’ve got a good formula. We’ve got to be ready for a physical football game.”

Expected to start at quarterback for the Silver Foxes is senior Jon Hunt, who played sparingly last year.

Replacing Green, who already is turning heads at Clemson after rushing for 241 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s state championship game, are juniors Tent Lodge and Marcus Anderson.

Dutch Fork has three quality receivers in Jacob Hamilton, Leyton Shuler and Ron DiPietro, all seniors.

The offensive line is big, as is starting tight end Cayden McFadden who weighs in at 221 pounds.

The defense has some players who will be difficult to dislodge, including senior linebacker Deon Winsley and defensive lineman Dakota Jordan.

Sophomore defensive end Julian Walker is listed at 6-foot-6, 230 pounds. Another defensive end, Terrence Wells, is 6-foot-2, 230.

That defense will be tested by an experienced and highly skilled Packers offense, led by senior quarterback Neko Fann.

His top wide receiver, Ny Carr, has committed to Georgia. Landen Thomas is the top high school senior tight end in the nation.

Three other receivers are capable of damaging defenses as well: seniors Zay Williams, Markese Wilson and Jaden Fowler.

The offensive line also is senior-dominated.

The defense is less experienced, but Amari Wilson, Nick Pace and Duke-committed Tyshon Reed Jr. are among the best in state.

Joining Pace, the team’s top returning tackler, at the starting middle linebacking positions will be sophomore Brayden Ruis.

“He’s a big, physical kid,” Calhoun said. “He’s a smart kid, too, a good football player.”

The starting safeties will be seniors Will Madison and Trenton Dunbar who, according to Calhoun, are smart, tough, players who have not had much game experience.

One area the Packers should be solid in is kicking where preseason All-State and MaxPreps Junior All-American Brett Fitzgerald returns. He was 13-for-14 in field goal attempts last year with a long of 44 yards.

The Packers might have an advantage in dealing with what is expected to be a muggy South Georgia evening.

“This is where we live,” Calhoun said. “We live in this all the time. We can’t change it so we embrace it.”

The Georgia High School Association has rules in place for officials to deal with heat.

According to the GHSA Constitution, “Any football contest MUST have an on-site WBGT (wet bulb) monitor and take measurements 15 minutes prior to the

start of the contest and again during halftime. The following requirements for hydration breaks must be followed:

(a) Kick-off WBGT equal or above 87.0 F – referees will take a mandatory hydration break at or near the

6-minute mark of each quarter lasting three (3) minutes (change of possession or touchdown and PAT).

All participants must remove their helmets and no coaches are permitted on the field at this time. It is

recommended that players who are actively engaged in the competition and come to the sideline remove

their helmets and hydrate until such time that they re-enter the field of play.

(b) Kickoff WBGT equal or above 90.0 F – referees will take a mandatory hydration break at or near the

4-minute and 8-minute mark of each quarter lasting 3 minutes (change of possession or point after touchdown). All participants must remove their helmets and no coaches are permitted on the field at this time. It is

recommended that players who are actively engaged in the competition and come to the sideline remove

their helmets and hydrate until such time that they re-enter the field of play.”

Both the Packers and Silver Foxes are ranked high in a number of preseason polls.

NationalHSFB.com has the Packers ranked No. 11 in the nation and Dutch Fork No. 14.

“Our kids are excited to be on the field with a team that has the record that their team has,” Calhoun said.

After the Saturday evening game, the Packers will have a short turnaround before the Friday, Aug. 25, game against Stockbridge, also at The Mack.

PACKERS NOTES: Gates will open at 2:45 p.m. and tickets will be sold at the gate. Tickets are $15.

Tickets are for both games.

For those unable to make it to the stadium, both games will be live-streamed by flofootball.com.

Go to flofootball.com, click on search and click on Colquitt County and scroll down to Dutch Fork vs. Colquitt County.