Dutch Fork 2025

[dfoldman]

DF faithful have been looking to the 2025 and 2026 seasons since the players were young kids in the youth leagues and B Team and C Team... Never know what a teenager is going to do, and there is always the injury bug... but quietly optimistic for the coming two seasons and beyond for DF. Have some outstanding players joining the team from Columbia area schools, PA and GA as well... on the SC board they didn't believe me when I told them years ago- "the end was coming" when Tom Knotts took the job and all the "experts" told me he could not replicate the success he had in NC because the SC competition was "too tough".... it's only taken him 15 years to win 9 state titles, and runner-up 3 times. DF has won 8 of the last nine state titles and won the last 3 in a row. When my sons enrolled at DF years ago, the first time I walked the hallway at that school and looked at the area, I knew it was the perfect storm for the right coach....just didn't expect DF to find The Coach.

You never know what kids are going to do...but if they listen to the GOAT, stay healthy and stay focused this could be a special season.

Fear The Fox...

 

[btango]

From Blythewood in the northeast past Lexington in the west is pickup population quickly around Columbia. SC is one of the top areas in the US for people to move to.

Remember, he took the Dutch Fork job because that was the only school that offered him a job. He informed the potential schools he would be in NC until the end of the 2009-2010 school year. DF fans were complaining that he was not on campus or involved enough to be successful and it was a money grab by Knotts and a bad hire.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

I follow DF mainly only because I'm a fan of Knotts but really know very little about them just that Knotts has made them a big winner. What is the South Carolina forum you follow for HS football?

 

[btango]

Football - SCPrepTalk

 

[dfoldman]

btango- I wonder what all those schools are thinking now after passing on Knotts. Hindsight is always 20/20. When he came to DF I knew it would be fun times, but this has exceeded my expectations. I think Coach Knotts lives directly across the street from the football stadium now if memory serves. He is best I've seen.... no offense to McKissick or Bentley. TK is the Carolina GOAT.

Fear The Fox...

 

[bigdadd11103]

btango- I wonder what all those schools are thinking now after passing on Knotts. Hindsight is always 20/20. When he came to DF I knew it would be fun times, but this has exceeded my expectations. I think Coach Knotts lives directly across the street from the football stadium now if memory serves. He is best I've seen.... no offense to McKissick or Bentley. TK is the Carolina GOAT.

Fear The Fox...

He's the national GOAT. Best ever HS coach

 

[Vik-Val 86]

I know when the day comes when he announces retirement that will be some big breaking news for sure. Hopefully he will stay as long as he can. Knotts is definitely the GOAT

 

[nepsy7]

He's the national GOAT. Best ever HS coach

I agree! Forget the best in the Carolinas. He’s Nationally great! 👍🏾

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

I think there was an article written last year that did in fact state the end is near for Knotts and he hinted that as soon as Knotts' son graduates High School his plan is to retire. I believe his son is a sophomore QB at DF. Knotts said it's unfortunate but he has a better QB on the roster than his son for 2 years so his son may only start for his senior year perhaps. I could be off on the intended timeline of if his son is a current sophomore or junior, but the article said he will remain coaching for sure as long as his son is there, after that it's very likely retirement for Knotts.

 

[btango]

btango- I wonder what all those schools are thinking now after passing on Knotts. Hindsight is always 20/20. When he came to DF I knew it would be fun times, but this has exceeded my expectations. I think Coach Knotts lives directly across the street from the football stadium now if memory serves.
Fear The Fox..

I think not getting him on campus until school was out was a concern. Were you one of the ones that questioned him not being on campus enough?

He has lived across the street from the lower parking lot since he arrived. He bought in fully the day he got the job. He truly thought he would win state titles there. We all know he is / was crazy…like a Fox.

 

[Vik-Val 86]

Probably could make a friendly debate out of this. Who of had the best team. 2004 Independence or 2018 Dutch Fork. No way to tell but what a matchup that would been. I looked back I believe Independence averaged 54 points a game and DF averaged 59 points a game. If I did the math right. I know Dutch Fork probably had one of the best teams in 2018. dfoldman can answer that one. And to my understanding 2004 Independence was the best. Any thoughts.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

Probably could make a friendly debate out of this. Who of had the best team. 2004 Independence or 2018 Dutch Fork. No way to tell but what a matchup that would been. I looked back I believe Independence averaged 54 points a game and DF averaged 59 points a game. If I did the math right. I know Dutch Fork probably had one of the best teams in 2018. dfoldman can answer that one. And to my understanding 2004 Independence was the best. Any thoughts.

I would say Indy 2004 based on Cox signing with Georgia and Massaqoi and Nicks both making the NFL at receiver although Nicks wasn't a key cog that year for Indy. Indy also had a great TE and two very good RBs, not only that they had a tremendous defense that year.

 

[Straight Scope]

I would say Indy 2004 based on Cox signing with Georgia and Massaqoi and Nicks both making the NFL at receiver although Nicks wasn't a key cog that year for Indy. Indy also had a great TE and two very good RBs, not only that they had a tremendous defense that year.

2004 had a O-Line that averaged 300 pounds, including a center that was only 220 pounds.

Last time I checked they still had their 2004 games with South View and Richmond County on YouTube.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

I would say Indy 2004 based on Cox signing with Georgia and Massaqoi and Nicks both making the NFL at receiver although Nicks wasn't a key cog that year for Indy. Indy also had a great TE and two very good RBs, not only that they had a tremendous defense that year.

I've only found the 2003 Indy vs Richmond game and the 2008 Indy vs Richmond game on you tube. I was at the 2004 Indy vs Richmond game. Indy was in complete control from the get go and forced Richmond into passing once they got behind. The Indy defensive line had the Richmond QB running for his life pretty much every time he dropped back to pass, the game was simply no contest. I drove all the way from Wilmington to watch that game.

 

[BlackAndYellowFellow]

I've only found the 2003 Indy vs Richmond game and the 2008 Indy vs Richmond game on you tube. I was at the 2004 Indy vs Richmond game. Indy was in complete control from the get go and forced Richmond into passing once they got behind. The Indy defensive line had the Richmond QB running for his life pretty much every time he dropped back to pass, the game was simply no contest. I drove all the way from Wilmington to watch that game.

The 03 game was a classic. Wide left, smh.

2004 was over before the half.

 

[Straight Scope]

I've only found the 2003 Indy vs Richmond game and the 2008 Indy vs Richmond game on you tube. I was at the 2004 Indy vs Richmond game. Indy was in complete control from the get go and forced Richmond into passing once they got behind. The Indy defensive line had the Richmond QB running for his life pretty much every time he dropped back to pass, the game was simply no contest. I drove all the way from Wilmington to watch that game.

I found the Independence-Southview 2004 State Championship game at Chapel Hill this morning on YouTube. The title was "Independence HS 2004 State Championship", "Dave R" was the poster, and it showed it was "6 Years Old".

The first 15 minutes showed some player introductions and some highlights from the 2003 State Championship between Independence and New Bern. The 2004 game coverage started about 15 minutes into the video and the total run time was 2 hours and 53 minutes. For some reason they missed several minutes at the beginning of the 2004 game, but neither team scored during the missing time.

Southview's only score came on a blocked punt, and Independence took a knee 3 times at the end of the game on the SV 5 yard line.

 

[bigdadd11103]

I found the Independence-Southview 2004 State Championship game at Chapel Hill this morning on YouTube. The title was "Independence HS 2004 State Championship", "Dave R" was the poster, and it showed it was "6 Years Old".

The first 15 minutes showed some player introductions and some highlights from the 2003 State Championship between Independence and New Bern. The 2004 game coverage started about 15 minutes into the video and the total run time was 2 hours and 53 minutes. For some reason they missed several minutes at the beginning of the 2004 game, but neither team scored during the missing time.

Southview's only score came on a blocked punt, and Independence took a knee 3 times at the end of the game on the SV 5 yard line.

Indy 04 was dominant, but give me Indy 02 with Knotts and Leak. HS football in NC was down a little in 04. 04 Indy super impressive but don't think a Knotts/Leak team lose to anyone sans the one loss game 1.

 

[mpj2k8]

I thought Geiler coached the 04 team.
I thought the 02 team was the best Indy team.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

I found the Independence-Southview 2004 State Championship game at Chapel Hill this morning on YouTube. The title was "Independence HS 2004 State Championship", "Dave R" was the poster, and it showed it was "6 Years Old".

The first 15 minutes showed some player introductions and some highlights from the 2003 State Championship between Independence and New Bern. The 2004 game coverage started about 15 minutes into the video and the total run time was 2 hours and 53 minutes. For some reason they missed several minutes at the beginning of the 2004 game, but neither team scored during the missing time.

Southview's only score came on a blocked punt, and Independence took a knee 3 times at the end of the game on the SV 5 yard line.

I've seen the highlights of the Indy vs South View before yes. If you can find the highlights of 2004 Indy vs Richmond please let me know the title to search for of that game. I'm from Fayetteville and have also lived in Wilmington. However a big fan of Charlotte football over the years. I attended the Indy vs Providence regular season game in 2003 after hearing about Indy dominating the state in the Leak years. Call me bandwagon but I started pulling for Indy as they were bringing attention to NC football during the streak. I also attended the Indy vs Richmond 2004 game. Later I attended several Mallard Creek games such as the western finals vs Butler in 2013 and the state finals a week later vs Wake Forest in Raleigh. I also attended the next year a Providence vs Mallard Creek playoff game. I also traveled to Mallard Creek at Byrnes in 2015, Mallard Creek at Dillon in 2016, and Mallard Creek at Gaffney in 2019. I also saw Scotland at Jack Britt in 2019, that's the last High School game I attended live, it's been a few years but I've been working overseas since that time unable to attend.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

I thought Geiler coached the 04 team.
I thought the 02 team was the best Indy team.

Geiler did coach 2004 that's correct

 

[bigdadd11103]

Geiler did coach 2004 that's correct

Yes that's why I feel 02 with Knotts /Leak would have been the best of the group. Geiler was a great coach and had Cox, but Knotts is the GOAT. Always go with the team with the GOAT.

 

[mpj2k8]

Yes that's why I feel 02 with Knotts /Leak would have been the best of the group. Geiler was a great coach and had Cox, but Knotts is the GOAT. Always go with the team with the GOAT.

Plus Indy dismantled a loaded Butler team the second time they met in the playoffs. Indy beat a really good Providence team that upset Richmond in the playoffs if I am not mistaken. Back in those days Richmond garnered a level of competitive fear so it was a big deal.

 

[Longship233]

The hype train for DF's next seasons is like a tornado at a Carolina chili cook-off! Coach Knotts is a legit wizard, flexing like he's lifting 12-gallon buckets of ice cream! Winning 9 state titles and being a runner-up 3 times is basically a way of flexing harder than LeBron in his prime! It's crystal clear, Coach Knotts ain't just building a winning squad; he's stockpiling talent like we're hoarding toilet paper during a snowstorm!

I can’t help but wonder what the future holds for the program once Coach Knotts decides to retire....

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

The hype train for DF's next seasons is like a tornado at a Carolina chili cook-off! Coach Knotts is a legit wizard, flexing like he's lifting 12-gallon buckets of ice cream! Winning 9 state titles and being a runner-up 3 times is basically a way of flexing harder than LeBron in his prime! It's crystal clear, Coach Knotts ain't just building a winning squad; he's stockpiling talent like we're hoarding toilet paper during a snowstorm!

I can’t help but wonder what the future holds for the program once Coach Knotts decides to retire....

The future for them will almost certainly look like Indy since he left. Good from time to time but certainly the loss of Knotts will always have them longing for the glory years that they had with him. Impossible to maintain that kind of success once he steps away.

 

[Straight Scope]

I found the Independence-Southview 2004 State Championship game at Chapel Hill this morning on YouTube. The title was "Independence HS 2004 State Championship", "Dave R" was the poster, and it showed it was "6 Years Old".

The first 15 minutes showed some player introductions and some highlights from the 2003 State Championship between Independence and New Bern. The 2004 game coverage started about 15 minutes into the video and the total run time was 2 hours and 53 minutes. For some reason they missed several minutes at the beginning of the 2004 game, but neither team scored during the missing time.

Southview's only score came on a blocked punt, and Independence took a knee 3 times at the end of the game on the SV 5 yard line.

I found another 2004 game on YouTube that some people may be interested in.

Title "Independence vs Butler 2004", poster "James Paino IV". The video was not very good, but you could easily tell what was going on. For some reason the video didn't include much of the 4th quarter It was interesting to see a game from old Memorial Stadium, before it was rebuilt and cut in half.

 

[mpj2k8]

If I am not mistaken, James played for Indy.

I saw that video as well. Indy was a machine.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

If I am not mistaken, James played for Indy.

I saw that video as well. Indy was a machine.

Im guessing he played for Butler because after watching this a player by that name fumbled a kickoff for Butler but Butler did recover the fumble.

 

[Straight Scope]

Im guessing he played for Butler because after watching this a player by that name fumbled a kickoff for Butler but Butler did recover the fumble.

In the video at about 8 minutes they mentioned that Paino started HS at Independence and transferred to Butler. So you're both right. But in this game he did play for Butler.

 

[dfoldman]

I've seen the highlights of the Indy vs South View before yes. If you can find the highlights of 2004 Indy vs Richmond please let me know the title to search for of that game. I'm from Fayetteville and have also lived in Wilmington. However a big fan of Charlotte football over the years. I attended the Indy vs Providence regular season game in 2003 after hearing about Indy dominating the state in the Leak years. Call me bandwagon but I started pulling for Indy as they were bringing attention to NC football during the streak. I also attended the Indy vs Richmond 2004 game. Later I attended several Mallard Creek games such as the western finals vs Butler in 2013 and the state finals a week later vs Wake Forest in Raleigh. I also attended the next year a Providence vs Mallard Creek playoff game. I also traveled to Mallard Creek at Byrnes in 2015, Mallard Creek at Dillon in 2016, and Mallard Creek at Gaffney in 2019. I also saw Scotland at Jack Britt in 2019, that's the last High School game I attended live, it's been a few years but I've been working overseas since that time unable to attend.

DF 2018 team was special...so were 2016, 2020, 2022 (once they got healthy by the time region play started) and the 2024 team may have not been Knotts' best offensive team, but the defense was lights out. Have to wait and see how the 2025 team looks.

Fear The Fox...

 

[Champ_24]

2002 Indy is the best Knotts team ever