Class 5A Lower State Finals Preview

Ian Guerin November 24, 2021 @ 11:19 PM

The top dogs of the Lower State 5A are here. Again. Dutch Fork, the winners of five straight Class 5A titles, and Fort Dorchester, the ultimate bride’s maid, meet once more. The Silver Foxes have to be considered the favorite until they aren’t. But Fort D isn’t just showing up. These 10 players will have a role in determining the outcome. DUTCH FORK SILVER FOXES (11-0) 1. Davin Patterson, QB - The next great Dutch Fork quarterback has already gone off for 33 total touchdowns this year (26 passing, seven rushing). That alone should wake folks up to the future of the position from yet another senior. But in this game, it’s all about Patterson’s effectiveness. He completes 74 percent of his passes and rarely sees pressure. 2. Landon Danley, DB - Three picks, two forced fumbles and 55.5 tackles in 11 games. This safety gets after it and floats along all three phases of the defense with ease. Dropping back into coverage, rushing the line and supporting the line are all second nature. 3. [player_tooltip player_id="214159" first="Cj" last="Wicker"], LB - The prototypical middle linebacker (5-foot-11, 210 pounds) is everything Tom Knotts wants out of the position. Wicker has 85 solo tackles already this year and has 15 tackles for loss to boot. 4. [player_tooltip player_id="91136" first="Jarvis" last="Green"], RB - It’s hard to argue with a tailback who has averaged 9.8 yards per carry. But Green still somehow gets overlooked. The junior has put up 1,405 yards and 31 yards on the ground alone this fall. Tack on another 302 receiving yards and we know he’s the real deal. 5. [player_tooltip player_id="61070" first="Antonio" last="Williams"], WR - The state’s second-highest ranked receiver is all that and a bag of chips. Williams’ offer list grows by the week, and for good reason. Williams (pictured) just keeps putting up huge game after huge game. He’s priority No. 1 for Fort Dorchester. FORT DORCHESTER PATRIOTS (12-0) 1. Tre Ryan, WR - The slot receiver is needed even more against the Silver Foxes. The seam routes are the best chance the Patriots have to keep the edge rushers at bay. If Ryan catches a couple passes up the middle on slants early, it may be enough to shake up the Dutch Fork blitz packages. 2. [player_tooltip player_id="89313" first="Devin" last="Geddis"], DE - The 6-foot-1 edge rusher plays more like a tackle in how he drives instead of dives. Geddis can’t bust the edge, of course, but what we like so much about his game is the power element. It catches most opposing offensive tackles off-guard, and it’s why he’s got P5 chances. 3. [player_tooltip player_id="89318" first="Demetrius" last="Watson"], DT - Size matters when you’re trying to line up against Dutch Fork. Waston has it. The 6-foot-2, 285-pound tackle has offers from five Power Five schools because they all believe he can continue to develop. If he goes off here, he’ll add to the offer list. 4. [player_tooltip player_id="200692" first="Demetris" last="McKelvey"], TE - the 6-foot-5 tight end is the wild card to this game. He lines up next to tackle and splits wide, anything that will create a match-up issue. He’s not gonna run most routes deep, but that’s not the intention, either. McKelvey is here to jab, not upper cut. 5. [player_tooltip player_id="89345" first="Zolten" last="Osborne"], QB - Osborne has thrown for 3,293 yards and 32 touchdowns in 12 games. More importantly, he’s only had five interceptions. In 345 pass attempts. If Fort D is going to have any chance at all at pulling the upset, the Patriots’ offense can’t turn the ball over. And that means Osborne can’t be throwing picks.