Dutch Fork "Tommy Knotts"

[shutdownD24]

Been a ton if successful coaches leave NC and struggle to put programs together in some of these football states. Knotts certainly not one of them. Brand seems to be putting something together at Irmo as well.

The team that Irmo just knocked out of the playoffs James Island also has a former NC coach leading them, Coach McKoy who formerly coached at Hunter Huss. McKoy also took over a program James Island that did not have any type of history of winning and turned them completely around.

 

[Vik-Val 86]

i think what makes this interesting is White Knoll is in the same conference as Dutch Fork. Here they are playing in the 5A State Championship game. Has this ever happened before Where 2 teams in the same conference playing against each other in a State Championship game.

 

[Thinkpositivepc2]

4 teams from the same conference played for the 4AA and 4A championships in NC 2008 I think.

 

[btango]

2008.
4AA Richmond v Jack Britt.
4A 71st v Byrd.

 

[btango]

i think what makes this interesting is White Knoll is in the same conference as Dutch Fork. Here they are playing in the 5A State Championship game. Has this ever happened before Where 2 teams in the same conference playing against each other in a State Championship game.

SC used to do a statewide bracket in the Big 16 so I think there were some same region teams that net for the title.

About twelve years ago same county schools, Byrnes and Dorman, met in the title game. The teams met in the regular season finale with Dorman winning. Starting Dorman linebacker moved into the Byrnes district the next week and was a star player for Byrnes in the tithe game.

 

[Otis4411]

How long has Tommy been sporting the Mohawk? I agree he is the most successful high school coach I have ever seen.

 

[Vik-Val 86]

9-5 Dutch Fork will take on 14-0 White Knoll this Friday at 8pm for the 5A State Championship. As for Tommy Knotts. Carolina Panthers probably wouldn’t go wrong reaching out to him for head coach job. Lol.

 

[btango]

How long has Tommy been sporting the Mohawk? I agree he is the most successful high school coach I have ever seen.

He’s shaving the beard Saturday morning and letting the hair grow back.

 

[do_you_tell]

Yes. They get paid extra each round per the coaches I have known in SC.

It depends on the district. Not everyone in SC gets playoff pay.

 

[do_you_tell]

Knotts is a great coach. He has also benefited from situations where he was able to attract the best players to his school. Charlotte was the wild west for a long time and nobody was checking on where players were coming from. At Dutch Fork students that are outside of their school zone are allowed to attend Dutch Fork. This is something that doesn’t exist for most of the teams they play against and he has taken full advantage of it.

Greenville County schools in the upstate have also adopted this policy and they have 3 schools that end up with all of the football talent while the other schools struggle.

The transfer portal is still relatively new to college football, but it has been going on in high school football for a long time and some coaches have benefited from it more than others.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

Knotts would win anywhere he coaches. He has proven that over and over again and has won at every place he has coached.

 

[jojr01]

They laughed at him for taking the DF job. Said he could not win playing big boy football.

I asked him when he took the DF job why he took that one considering their history especially the last few years. "They offered me a job. We will win here."

He also told me he about five years ago he wished he would have had the support at Indy he had at DF. The medical, training facility, meeting rooms are impressive.

Coach Knotts is a rare individual. He could win wherever he went. There were rumors that he considered taking the job at Garinger to prove a point. There is no doubt he would have been successful there, but it was the Charlotte Mecklenburg School system and their lack of support with athletics that made his decision to go to South Carolina easy.

During one of his state championship runs, CMS once tried to move one of the late round games from Independence to another stadium because of the inadequacies of the Independence facilities. He absolutely refused, taking the position that good, bad or indifferent it was home and his team earned the right to play at home. If the facilities were a problem, then that was on CMS for not funding them to the standard they deemed appropriate.

Truth be known, CMS was probably happy to see go because he was not afraid to call them out and say publicly what all the other coaches were thinking.

He is getting up in age. He has been told to keep coaching as long as he is having fun. I wish him the best and still keep up with his program at Dutch Fork. It appears he is still having a lot of fun too.

 

[btango]

His son is a freshman. I expect TK stays until the son finishes his senior season.

 

[FreedomAlum]

The coaches get paid each week of the playoffs and there are some bonuses.

Not sure about the radio show. His retirement pay in NC would be close to $50k.
The athletic department has very good relationships with numerous corporate entities in the area. There are always perks where football is considered an important part of the local community.

I think more than 40 head football coaches in SC make over $100,000 per year base salary. Some also carry the title of AD.

Do you think his retirement pay is that much? Based on the pension formula used by the state of NC he would have had to have been making around $90k with 30 years in the system to pull that much in state pension money.

 

[Greengold_4ever]

Classic Knotts, trolling former DC who is the HC of the team he is playing for state championship. Used to love the jabs he would throw at Raider nation in the paper and on the news back in the day

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

They play on Saturday right?

 

[Vik-Val 86]

They play on Saturday right?

Tonight at 8pm

 

[jojr01]

Classic Knotts, trolling former DC who is the HC of the team he is playing for state championship. Used to love the jabs he would throw at Raider nation in the paper and on the news back in the day

View embedded media

He took jabs at a lot of people, especially Butler, but he always did it with a smile on his face.

 

[btango]

Do you think his retirement pay is that much? Based on the pension formula used by the state of NC he would have had to have been making around $90k with 30 years in the system to pull that much in state pension money.

He was making over $70k when he left CMS/NC in 2009 with thirty years. Whatever that works out to. I thought it was closer to $50k than $40k but I am not that in the know on retirement pay.

 

[ggman]

They play on Saturday right?

Game is on Friday Night December 1st @ 8 PM on NFHS NETWORK

 

[onthebank]

RADIO?

 

[OllO]

3Q: DUTCH FORK 7, WHITE KNOLL 6​

-TOUCHDOWN! Hunt with the 2-yard keeper. DF leads with 6:53 left in the third.

 

[OllO]

3Q: DUTCH FORK 7, WHITE KNOLL 6​

-Sack and a short punt puts DF at the WK 35.

 

[OllO]

3Q: DUTCH FORK 14, WHITE KNOLL 6​

-TOUCHDOWN1! Hunt scores on another 2-yard keeper with 1:05 left in the third.

 

[OllO]

4Q: DUTCH FORK 14, WHITE KNOLL 6​

-Yet another three-and-out for WK. DF has ball at its own 43.

 

[OllO]

4Q: DUTCH FORK 14, WHITE KNOLL 6​

- WF defense holds the line, forces punt and takes over at its 18 with 11:23 remaining.

 

[OllO]

4Q: DUTCH FORK 14, WHITE KNOLL 6​

-Three-and-out for WK and a 5-yard punt sets DF up at the Timberwolves' 18.

 

[OllO]

4Q: DUTCH FORK 21, WHITE KNOLL 6​

-TOUCHDOWN! K.J. Smith scores on a 4-yard run with 6:03 to go.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

Barring collapse it seems Knotts will bring home yet another state championship. How many will that be for him now?

 

[OllO]

4Q: DUTCH FORK 21, WHITE KNOLL 6​

-DF makes fourth down stop, takes over at WK 46 with 2:57 left.

 

[OllO]

Barring collapse it seems Knotts will bring home yet another state championship. How many will that be for him now?

Tommy Knotts has won 12 state titles in 37 seasons

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

Is the Dutch Fork score now a final?

 

[OllO]

FINAL: DUTCH FORK 21, WHITE KNOLL 6​

 

[OllO]

W-L record: 452-65-0

Win percentage: .874

Years: 38 seasons (1983-2003, 2005-present)

Schools: Harding High School (Harding, North Carolina), West Charlotte High School (Charlotte, North Carolina), Independence High School (Charlotte, North Carolina), Dutch Fork High School (Irmo, South Carolina)

State titles: 13 (1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2016-20)

 

[Blue and Gold22]

Knotts is a great coach. He has also benefited from situations where he was able to attract the best players to his school. Charlotte was the wild west for a long time and nobody was checking on where players were coming from. At Dutch Fork students that are outside of their school zone are allowed to attend Dutch Fork. This is something that doesn’t exist for most of the teams they play against and he has taken full advantage of it.

Greenville County schools in the upstate have also adopted this policy and they have 3 schools that end up with all of the football talent while the other schools struggle.

The transfer portal is still relatively new to college football, but it has been going on in high school football for a long time and some coaches have benefited from it more than others.

Funny how that transfer portal didnt help Dutch Fork before Knotts got there.

 

[btango]

Tommy Knotts has won 12 state titles in 37 seasons

Tonight made it number 15.

 

[btango]

Tonight made it number 15.

Harding Runnerup 1987.
WC 1995. Runnerup 1991, 1993.
Indy 2000-2003,2005-2006. Runnerup 2007.
DF 2013, 2016-2020, 2022-2023. Runnerup 2012, 2014, 2021.

15 state titles. 7 state runnerup. 22 title game appearances. 40 seasons.

 

[Vik-Val 86]

Thanks for these updates. Big congratulations to DF and also to Tom Knotts who definitely is the Goat of HS football.

 

[do_you_tell]

Funny how that transfer portal didnt help Dutch Fork before Knotts got there.

The school district didn’t always have school choice, but he is definitely better at securing transfers than most coaches.

 

[OllO]

Funny how that transfer portal didnt help Dutch Fork before Knotts got there.

The cruelest critics are always the ones who pursue needless answers when someone succeeds. Does this have an impact on your program? If not, why is it now causing you so much trouble?