SCPrepTalk

First off
With all of this coming from over 41 yrs of watch Spartanburg play. I had a streak of over 540 straight games home or away at one time before my beautiful Lisa Michelle died. What this team means to me is unmatched by anyone.

I asked for Hodge before the Brown hire when he was an assistant. I am so happy that Hodge and Knotts have agreed to do everything possible to make sure this game is played every year.

Now on to the game..
Spartanburg cannot play like the first meeting an win this game. These undisciplined and mostly self inflicted penalties have to finally stop.
Every time I watch Dutch Fork play I always see the same thing..no mistakes. The execution is second to none.

I truly hope Spartanburg doesn't get caught up in the moment.. I hope the play for the moment. I've heard the school is busing folks down to Columbia.
That's something that hasn't been done since Stratford and South Florence on last title run..

As always.. the longer it stays close I think it favors Spartanburg. Knotts is probably the best I've seen since Bentley in delivery of the proverbial "nail in the coffin" that leads to heads hung low and a 3 score or more loss.

I hope this game lays the foundation of what I hope to become a great rivalry for years to come.
Best of luck to both..I hope everyone has safe travels. Never take for granted these kids and coaches. South Carolina has great High School Football.

Spartanburg needs 30 to win.

Spartanburg 31
Dutch Fork 28

Dutch Fork is healthy....Dutch Fork is at home....Dutch Fork defense is getting better every week and arguably one of the best "high school" offenses (SFA is a factory not a high school, but I digress) couldn't score 30 on the DF defense, so I don't see anyone doing that to be honest. IMO to beat DF you need to have a balanced offense that runs and passes equally well and a defense that can stop the run. Spartanburg couldn't stop Dorman's rushing attack, so I am having a hard time seeing them stopping DF from running the ball. Appler is back so we can throw the ball some now....OL and DL keep playing the way they play then I think we will be okay... have to wait and see.

Fear The Fox...

Spartanburg can throw and run the ball really well. Their toughest competition came in the first 3 weeks of the season. I believe this game will come down to who makes the least mistakes at the end of the game. Penalties and turnovers can also be a dividing factor in this one. I think coach Hodge will have his team ready for battle. Spartanburg gest the revenge in this one.

Spartanburg - 27

Dutch Fork - 24

Any time you have a rematch, the old saying "it's hard to beat a good team twice!" comes to mind. It was for many years, expected in Region II with Gaffney-Byrnes, Dorman-Byrnes, and Byrnes-Dorman each winning one State Championship after losing during the regular season during a three or four year stretch. The first meeting was a last play of the game type win for the Silver Foxes and both teams have played really well since that first meeting with the Vikings playing a tougher schedule in my opinion. So "Hard to beat a good team twice" - Spartanburg

Dutch Fork played in a Region where they were never really challenged (which means they should be extremely healthy and rested}

Spartanburg had a tough battle almost every week during Region play {which makes them more tested.}

Home team - Dutch Fork

QB Play - I would favor DF but only very slightly

WR Play - I think DF gets a slight nod here, #1 WR favors DF, but the rest is pretty even. TE for Dutch Fork may be a key in the game!

Offense - DF line was very impressive when I saw them and Spartanburg was very good - DF

Defense - Toss Up as for overall performance

Kicking Game - Vikings get the nod here

Coaching - It is almost impossible to pick a winner here. Both have proved to be excellent coaches and proven winners. Assistant coaching staffs are both top notch as well and I cannot give the nod to the Vikings only because of Coach Knotts number of rings. He's been there/done that more times so the experience gives him the nod.

Using those different factors you can come to your own conclusions:

I think the Silver Foxes win again; but this time it doesn't come down to the last play of the game. I think there will be a key play somewhere that brings the crowd and the momentum to Dutch Fork and they take control and win by a couple of scores.

This is not meant to be a slam on the Vikings as I've been high on them all year and I think they are in position to be contenders for a while (maybe not like the 1970's, but very good)! Region II has been tough for many years and I don't see than changing any time soon. Just look at the bracket as it stands right now: 3 of the final 4 and had Dutch Fork been in the Lower State like we thought back in August, Dorman would likely have been the 4th finalist.

Ok.. here goes:

Year in and year out, at every single in-state football clinic I attend, I hear upstate coaches whining about how "easy" Dutch Fork has it in their conference and coming through the Lower State. How, since they don't "play anybody", they are rested and ready by the state championship game. How, if only they played in the upper state bracket, things would be different.

Well, baby, you got what you wished for. Good luck with that.

One team at a time will get mashed into the ground, all from the up-state... and your whining will turn to something else.

DF 56
Mauldin 0

DF 35
Dorman 18

DF
Spartanburg....... I see no reason the Fox Trot stops.

Be careful what you wish for.

dacoach wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 16, 2022 2:37 pm

Ok.. here goes:

Year in and year out, at every single in-state football clinic I attend, I hear upstate coaches whining about how "easy" Dutch Fork has it in their conference and coming through the Lower State. How, since they don't "play anybody", they are rested and ready by the state championship game. How, if only they played in the upper state bracket, things would be different.

Well, baby, you got what you wished for. Good luck with that.

One team at a time will get mashed into the ground, all from the up-state... and your whining will turn to something else.

DF 56
Mauldin 0

DF 35
Dorman 18

DF
Spartanburg....... I see no reason the Fox Trot stops.

Be careful what you wish for.

Well you just proved what the upstate is whining about. DF rolls in fresh and healthy while the upstate teams limp into the playoffs after beating up on each other. Maybe if they didn't have to play such a tough schedule they would be fresh and healthy and ready to roll. No whining here though let the games be played.

DFOLDMAN wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 16, 2022 10:39 am

Dutch Fork is healthy....Dutch Fork is at home....Dutch Fork defense is getting better every week and arguably one of the best "high school" offenses (SFA is a factory not a high school, but I digress) couldn't score 30 on the DF defense, so I don't see anyone doing that to be honest. IMO to beat DF you need to have a balanced offense that runs and passes equally well and a defense that can stop the run. Spartanburg couldn't stop Dorman's rushing attack, so I am having a hard time seeing them stopping DF from running the ball. Appler is back so we can throw the ball some now....OL and DL keep playing the way they play then I think we will be okay... have to wait and see.

Fear The Fox...

Dont get me wrong.. Spartanburg needs 30 to win..getting it is a different story.

Spartanburg had over 30 players and coaches out the week of Dorman who has two D1 lineman. That's a win we had to steal. I never measure what Spartanburg can do by what Dorman does.
I measure them by what I see.

Theres no doubt we have a chore.
I'm in the minority.. I'm honest about my favorite team.
You may beat the brakes off of us..this is true.
...but make no mistake neither of these teams are the same teams from 9 weeks ago.
I hope it's great.

I think we can ALL AGREE..

ITS NOT ANYONES FAULT BUT THE SCHSL ON WHY THE PLAYOFFS ARE JACKED UP.

bring back cross bracketing.
Bring back the points system in some capacity.
In all honesty there really shouldnt even be a 5A in South Carolina.

Look at how hard it was for Spartanburg to find games.. I cant imagine what Knotts has to deal with just to find teams to play.

One more then I'm done.. the only ppl that whine are younger people. I can remember when Nobody wanted to play Lexington, Irmo, Sumter, Summerville, Stratford, Marlboro County, Spring Valley. And so on.

Dutch Fork is not a lower state team geographically.
Upper and Lower are made up words for a state Shaped like an inverted triangle with an east-west base of 285 miles and a north-south extent of about 225 miles.

Make the regions East - West see what u get

dacoach wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 16, 2022 2:37 pm

Ok.. here goes:

Year in and year out, at every single in-state football clinic I attend, I hear upstate coaches whining about how "easy" Dutch Fork has it in their conference and coming through the Lower State. How, since they don't "play anybody", they are rested and ready by the state championship game. How, if only they played in the upper state bracket, things would be different.

Well, baby, you got what you wished for. Good luck with that.

One team at a time will get mashed into the ground, all from the up-state... and your whining will turn to something else.

DF 56
Mauldin 0

DF 35
Dorman 18

DF
Spartanburg....... I see no reason the Fox Trot stops.

Be careful what you wish for.

The only ones talking/whining about it ,is fans of other teams outside region 2.I’ve not seen where a single fans of region 2 team s mentioning it..just another tough team..