Dutch Fork wins 4th straight title
Jalin Hyat, catches the winning touchdown pass during Dutch Forks’ overtime win against Dorman. Photos and words by Sean Rayford
The seniors at Dutch Fork finished their high school careers yesterday with a fourth straight South Carolina state football championship. Their record over four years? 55-1-1. And on Saturday afternoon, in the generous confines of Williams Brice Stadium, the Silvers Foxes won in dramatic fashion against Dorman, with a fourth quarter comeback and an overtime touchdown connection between senior quarterback Ty Olenchuk and senior receiver Jalin Hyat. Game over — 34-31. The win gave Dutch Fork head coach Tom Knotts his 12th state title in the Carolinas.
Dutch Fork senior running back Jon Hall picks up some of his 189 yards on the ground for the day. Hall is an East Carolina commit. Fellow seniors Jalin Hyat and Ty Olenchuck, plan to attend Tennessee and Clemson, respectively. Olenchuck will pursue baseball with the Tigers.
Dorman’s KC Calwile (3) helps Dutch Fork quarterback Ty Olenchuk (10) during the second half of Saturday’s class 5A championship game. Olenchuk finished the afternoon 15 of 30 for 236 yards and four touchdowns, with Hyat hauling in seven passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns.
Senior linebacker Anthony Demasi (23) assists on a tackle for a loss against Dorman running back Chance Black. Coach Knotts describes Demasi as the “heart and soul” of the Dutch Fork defense.
About the author:
Sean has been photographing South Carolina since 1997 when he joined the Gamecock Newspaper at the University of SC. He came to school to study computer science — but those classes sucked. After receiving a degree in Media Arts, Sean worked as an assistant manager at a record store, and began freelancing with the local daily newspaper. After a few years and multiple gun-point hold-ups, Sean found himself tending bar at a small live music venue, balancing the service industry with freelance photography for over a decade. He lost his job after telling his boss off at the bar one night, and took on photography full time in 2015. Since then, Sean has become a regular contributor to Getty Images, The Associated Press, The New York Times and many others. You can see more of his work at www.seanrayford.com.