Spring Outlook: Dutch Fork Silver Foxes

IRMO | The month of May marks means spring football practice in South Carolina.   At state power Dutch Fork, the time of preparation for next season began just a few days after the end of the previous season.   As far back as December, returning and new varsity players can be seen hard at work in the weight room. When not working out, they are studying film under the watchful eye of longtime head coach Tom Knotts and his staff.   So when it was time to begin on-field spring workouts last week, every player has remained on the same page when it comes to the ultimate team goal – an eighth state title.   “We've been hard at work,” said Knotts, who's entering his 14th season at the helm. “I'd like to see a little bit more polish, a little bit more execution right now. But it is May and that's why you practice to get better. We'll go watch some practice films and try to make a few corrections tomorrow and keep building on that. But we're a full go towards our goal to a state championship.”   Gone are some of the playmakers from last year's 14-1 team which regained the Class 5A title a year after Gaffney ended Dutch Fork's record-setting five-year reign. The star-studded group included some of the Palmetto State's top 100 players like running back [player_tooltip player_id='91136' first='Jarvis' last='Green'], quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='44974' first='Aliam' last='Appler'], defensive backs [player_tooltip player_id='262550' first='Landon' last='Danley'] and J'Von Mack, linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='132398' first='Chandler' last='Perry'] and defensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id='262678' first='Jaylen' last='Hinton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='336148' first='John' last='Buetow']   Now, the Silver Foxes will turn toward what Knotts sees as a “very promising” group of rising seniors and underclassmen to continue Dutch Fork's winning ways.   “We had a lot of juniors that sat on the bench last year that are seniors now and are ready to play,” Knotts said. “But they're going to be a lot of sophomores who are going to be juniors next year. We're going to count on them to step up. It's kind of how it us last year.”   Knotts mentioned rising juniors [player_tooltip player_id='1012701' first='Maurice' last='Anderson'] (6-foot, 200 pounds) and rising seniors Trenton Lodge (5-foot-10, 170) and Trey Starks (5-foot-7, 155) as adequate replacements for Green.   The key will be the play of the offensive line where one of those juniors who saw limited time last year is already raising eyebrows. At 6-foot-7, 315 pounds and with a wingspan the length of two adjoined exit doors at a gymnasium, rising junior offensive guard Joshua Benson is the biggest lineman on the roster.   Benson spent his first season playing football at the junior varsity level.  He was brought up during the team's championship last year where he saw limited action.   During the offseason, he earned more attention during the Palmetto Combine Series South combine at Woodland High School. Benson earned a “Golden Ticket" invitation to the Joanne Langfitt Junior Showcase in Myrtle Beach this December.   “Josh has gone from never having played the game to being a JV starter last year,” Knotts said. “He has improved remarkably since last fall and will eventually turn himself into a Division I offensive lineman. He is a good athlete with tremendous God-given size.   “He has attacked the weight room and should really be a mauler this season. Football does not, however, come naturally to him. He needs to focus on school, family, and football and all that goes with it. If he does that, the sky's the limit for him. We could see him on Sunday one day.”   Benson said the Palmetto Combine Series was an eye opener in showing him how much more work is needed to reach the lofty heights expressed by his coaches. Right now, he acknowledges having to rely more upon his natural skills like strength (he can bench press 415 pounds) and reach right now than using proper technique and footwork.   Offensive line coach Blakes Culbertson sees Benson as a “blank slate” who could eventually develop into “as good as he wants to be” and with two other returning starters, the Silver Foxes' offensive line should remain a team strength.   The biggest question for Dutch Fork is at quarterback. With baseball season completed, [player_tooltip player_id='1267290' first='Ethan' last='Offing'] will compete with John Hunt for the starting job with wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1013047' first='KJ' last='Smith'], who had the Fastest 40 at the PCS South Combine, as a possible Wildcat option.   Despite losing leading tacklers like Perry, Hinton and Buetow to graduation, Knotts believes his defense can perform even better than the group which held opponents to 13.3 points a game. Defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1012606' first='Elgin' last='Sessions'] has shown himself at recent combine camps as a top coverman and the Silver Foxes return [player_tooltip player_id='1142746' first='Dakota' last='Jordan'] (6-foot-1, 200 lbs.) and [player_tooltip player_id='771217' first='Terrance' last='Wells'] (6-foot-3, 225) on the defensive line.   “Right now, we've got a bunch of guys who are good kids,” Knotts said. “Nobody is really being a great leader, but it's May. I'd like to see someone emerge as a great leader. It's not happening right yet, but it's going to happen.”

IRMO | The month of May marks means spring football practice in South Carolina.