Fox, Carolina Forest Blow Past Fort Dorchester

MYRTLE BEACH | Typically, when a tailback's numbers start shooting into the stratosphere on a Friday night, it's about getting him in space off the edge and then watching him juke or sprint past defenders.   This time around, Carolina Forest decided to shoot theirs out of a cannon right up the middle.   Panthers' senior tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1148537' first='Jaryn' last='Fox'] put up his fourth 200-yard game of the season during his team's 49-7 second-round win over Fort Dorchester. He essentially never went outside of the tackle box.   And he had center [player_tooltip player_id='1909551' first='Reagan' last='Ober'] and guards [player_tooltip player_id='1820980' first='Michael' last='Ries'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1823592' first='Gavin' last='Williams'] to thank for it. The interior linemen made sure he wasn't being touched until well after the line of scrimmage. And Fox finished with an absurd 221 yards and three touchdowns on just 13 carries and then enjoyed 95-percent of the second half from the bench.    “They did an amazing job,” Fox said of the interior linemen. “… That shows maturity, it shows bravery, that they stepped up to the plate, filling in spots. I'm proud of them.”   All around, this was a game where the Panthers had little reason to feel anything but.   What it also did was put on display the growth of this program - and arguably the difference four years makes. After all, it was in the third round when these two teams met at Fort Dorchester in the 2022 season, with the Patriots walking away with a 39-21 win.   It was evident this wasn't going to have the same end score.   Fox took his second carry of the game up the gut for a 41-yard touchdown run. On the team's second series, he scampered 61 yards to eventually set up his 1-yard score.   He added 44 rushing yards on the Panthers' third drive - which was capped off with a 28-yard pass from [player_tooltip player_id='284135' first='Kamren' last='Long'] to [player_tooltip player_id='1672894' first='Brady' last='McDowell'] - before reaching the end zone for the third time in the first half on a 16-yarder.   By that point of the game, Fox was already up to 213 rushing yards.   He added eight more yards on the opening drive of the second half before giving way to a pair of backups. It was only a matter of time before they pushed the game to a 42-point margin and the mandatory running clock.   Again, much of what they did was again all up the middle.    “We knew we had some chances on the edges with the passing game,” Carolina Forest coach Marc Morris said. “But we felt like the whole game would be dictated by if we could run at them. Fortunately, the kids up front did a great job.   “Big plays come out of the passing game. But you're going to win or lose the game on stopping the run and running the ball. We know that as a defense, and we know that as an offense. Everyone knows who Jaryn is. He's a great back. Our O-Line stepped up to the challenge and if we keep this up we can keep this going.”   The next challenge gets a bit more stiff, as Carolina Forest will prepare for a third-round home game against Summerville, a team that has also eliminated the Panthers from the playoffs in the last three seasons (the Green Wave won 63-35 in the second round in 2022).    But that's a concern for the rest of the weekend.   For now, Carolina Forest, Fox and the rest of the Panther offense can know it took care of business to keep them in the conversation.    “It shows growth and it shows character,” Fox said. “Every team is here for a reason in the playoffs,” Fox said. “We knew it was going to be a game where we can't take anything lightly. We had to prepare and coaches got us ready for this week. The players, we did our job.”   OTHER CAROLINA FOREST NOTABLES   [player_tooltip player_id='1820981' first='Quilen' last='Johnson'] DL, 2026 - Johnson didn't waste any time getting involved. On the first offensive series, Johnson stuffed the Pats for a two-yard loss in what turned into a string of punts while the Panther offense jumped out to a three-touchdown lead.   [player_tooltip player_id='284135' first='Kamren' last='Long'] QB, 2026 - Long again bounced off the rushing game to do his part. The senior and first-year starter finished 10-of-16 for 162 yards and three touchdowns. His first two went to McDowell before taking on a third midway through the third quarter to extend the lead.   [player_tooltip player_id='1672894' first='Brady' last='McDowell'] WR, 2028 - One of the speedsters on the outsize, McDowell added some balance to all the rushing. The sophomore hauled in all four of his receptions in the first half. Those went for 85 yards and two scores. He had a 28-yard touchdown with 8:22 left in the second quarter and then added a 17-yard touchdown with 5.1 seconds remaining before halftime to make it a four-score game heading into the break.    [player_tooltip player_id='1576586' first='River' last='Thayne'] TE, 2026 - Thayne is an offensive lineman with a tight end number most of the time. But against the Patriots, he was rewarded with an 18-yard touchdown reception, just his third catch all season. On the play, Thayne caught the ball near the 5-yard line and then dumptrucked a defender to get into the end zone.    [player_tooltip player_id='1825262' first='Jaiden' last='Anderson'] RB, 2026 - Anderson's touchdown run near the end of the third quarter wasn't the biggest of the evening, but it did enact a running clock, as his 10-yard scamper with 6.8 seconds remaining in the third pushed the score to 49-7. Anderson, Fox's primary backup, will enter the Panthers' third-round game around 20 yards shy of 500 for the year.    [player_tooltip player_id='1823603' first='Christian' last='Bennett'] RB, 2027 - Bennett, who was initially set to be the primary back-up tailback to start the season, was injured the week of the team's season opener and didn't return until Friday. He needed only six carries to put up 76 yards.    FORT DORCHESTER NOTABLES   [player_tooltip player_id='1818375' first='Thomas' last='Adamsky'] QB, 2026 - While Adamsky didn't start the game, he was quickly the choice at the position just moments into the game. He showed some escapability against a heavy pass rush and finished the game 12-of-23 for 99 yards and a second-quarter touchdown pass. On that one, he was flushed out of the pocket, spun and found tailback Kyrome Durant downfield for a 17-yard touchdown.    [player_tooltip player_id='1271486' first='Savon' last='Garrett'] LB, 2026 - Bright spots were few and far between for the Patriots given everything the Panther offense was able to do early. But Garrett was covering a ton of ground. He made the first tackle for his team on Carolina Forest's first snap. On the Panthers' third series, Garrett again started it off with a positive, stopping Fox 3 yards behind the line. Garrett was briefly knocked out of the game in the third quarter but returned two plays later to make yet another tackle. Unofficially, he had nine in the game.    [player_tooltip player_id='1818368' first='Devin' last='Gates'] WR, 2028 - Gates was Adamsky's favorite target, catching four passes for 30 yards in the opening half and adding a 13-yarder in the second half.    UP NEXT FOR CAROLINA FOREST: vs. No. 5 Summerville

MYRTLE BEACH | Typically, when a tailback's numbers start shooting into the stratosphere on a Friday night, it's about getting him in space off the edge and then watching him juke or sprint past defenders.