IRMO, S.C. — Irmo-area Dutch Fork is still the top team in South Carolina high school football, but the gap at the top of Class 5A narrowed this week. The Silver Foxes held No. 1 in the SC Prep Media Poll released Tuesday, Oct. 13, and remain in the Top 10 of the High School On SI statewide Top 25.
In the media poll, Dutch Fork had 10 first-place votes and finished three points ahead of Northwestern, which had eight first-place votes. A week earlier Dutch Fork had all but one of the first-place votes. Northwestern is 7-1 after beating then-No. 3 Dorman 35-19.
Dutch Fork is 7-0 and coming off a 21-8 win over Chapin. With three weeks left in the regular season, the Silver Foxes are one of only four unbeaten teams still chasing a perfect season, along with Daniel, James Island and Strom Thurmond.
Perfect seasons are familiar territory for the program. Since head coach Tom Knotts arrived in 2010, Dutch Fork has gone undefeated in 2016, 2018-20 and 2024, and the Silver Foxes improved to 51-2 in region play since 2015.
Next up is River Bluff, a Gators team riding a five-game winning streak. Dutch Fork High School serves Irmo neighborhoods including Friarsgate, one of the oldest planned subdivisions in the town.
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