Playoff Rewind: Dutch Fork routs River Bluff. Irmo to face White Knoll in lower state finals

Dutch Fork kept a pair of streaks intact on Friday night.

The Silver Foxes won their 10th-straight game over River Bluff and advanced to their ninth-straight state semifinal with a 52-14 win over the Gators in the Class 5A Division I Upper State football playoffs.

Dutch Fork (11-0) will host Spartanburg in the Upper State championship next week with a trip to the state championship on the line. The Silver Foxes are looking for their eighth title in the last nine seasons and ninth since 2013.

“We got the running game going at first, which we haven’t been doing, so we were real pleased with that,” Dutch Fork coach Tom Knotts said. “I was pleased with the overall performance. … This is as good of a team as we have had in a long time.”

Dutch Fork will have history on its side next week. The Silver Foxes are 11-0 all-time in upper or lower state championship games under Knotts, who took over the program in 2010.

Running back Maurice Anderson was the sparkplug for the Silver Foxes running game Friday. He rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns, and caught five passes for 45 yards.

The Silver Foxes finished with 327 yards on the ground and 559 total yards. Quarterback Ethan Offing threw for 181 yards and rushed for 52 and two scores.

The Silver Foxes scored on their first three possessions to lead 17-0.

River Bluff’s best chance of the first half came after it executed a fake field goal when Tripp Bryant took the pitch from holder Parker Murray and ran it to the Dutch Fork 17-yard line.

The Gators went for it on fourth-and-2 on the 9-yard line, but the Silver Foxes recovered a bad snap to end the threat. Dutch Fork took advantage of the turnover. Offing scored on a 4-yard run to make it 24-0 with 40 seconds left in the second quarter.

River Bluff made it interesting in the third. The Gators scored on the first play of the second half as Brayden Moore hit Aaron Griffin for a 68-yard touchdown.

The Silver Foxes turned it over on its first possession of the second half, and the Gators got the ball inside the Dutch Fork 20. River Bluff attempted a field goal, but South Carolina commitment Josh Smith blocked it and Jarvis Jackson scooped it up and returned it 76 yards for a Dutch Fork touchdown to make it 31-7.

“It was a great play,” Smith said. “We preach and preach and preach on field-goal block all throughout the week. We don’t take it lightly at all.”

Hayden Myers led River Bluff with 90 yards rushing. ECU commitment Stephen Collier also had a TD catch.

River Bluff ends its season at 10-3, the winningest season in school history. It was the program’s first appearance in the third round of the playoffs.

Irmo 55, West Florence 7

Virginia Tech commitment AJ Brand threw five touchdown passes and ran for two more as the Yellow Jackets earned a spot in the Class 5A Division II Lower State championship. Brand also went over 11,000 career yards.

Irmo will host White Knoll next week.

Brand was 13-of-18 passing for 196 yards and also carried it seven times for 117 yards.

Maleek Miller and Donovan Murph each had two TD catches for Irmo. Miller also had a punt return for a touchdown and finished with 152 total yards. Murph had six catches for 85 yards and two TDs.

White Knoll 23, Berkeley 3

The Timberwolves won their second-straight road playoff game and advanced to the Class 5A Division II Lower State championship.

White Knoll will travel to Irmo next week.

Quarterback Landon Sharpe rushed for two touchdowns and Tiyon Fanning had one TD run for the Wolves.

Fairfield Central 48, Central 28

The Griffins are headed to the 2A Upper State finals after a win over Central of Pageland.

Fairfield Central will play at Clinton next week.

Tydarion Grier and Kristian Golden each had two TD runs for Fairfield. Kaden Diggs also had two TD passes to Jaden Boyd in the win.

Westside 49, Camden 7

South Carolina quarterback commitment Cutter Woods threw five first-half touchdown passes as the Rams defeated the Bulldogs in the third round of the 4A playoffs.

Navier Boykin had a TD run for Camden.

Summerville 49, Ridge View 20

The Blazers’ season ended in the third round of the 5A Division I playoffs.

Tre Howard had a touchdown pass for Ridge View.

Clinton 31, Batesburg-Leesville 14

Javen Cook rushed for 269 yards and three touchdowns as the Red Devils defeated the Panthers in the third round of the 2A playoffs.

Batesburg-Leesville ends the season at 12-1.

The score was tied at 14-14 at halftime, but Clinton dominated the second half.

Tanner Watkins had a touchdown pass to KD Whitt and Amadre Wooden rushed for 85 yards for the Panthers.

Loris 30, Keenan 14

The Raiders’ season ends in the third round of the 3A playoffs.

Loris will play Oceanside Collegiate in the Lower State championship next week.

Moon Gerald threw two touchdown passes for the Lions.

Desmond Washington had two TD passes in the loss for Keenan.

North Augusta 63, Gilbert 14

Michael Doe had four touchdown runs and Corey Tillman had two as the Yellow Jackets defeated the Indians in 4A Lower State playoffs.

North Augusta will host South Florence in the 4A Lower State championship next week.

Both Doe and Tillman each rushed for more than 100 yards.

Gilbert running back. Trevon Williamson rushed for 89 yards and a TD. QB Connor James threw for 227 yards and a TD but was picked off three times. Chandler Guthrie had six catches for 128 yards and a TD.