Fantastic finish: Dutch Fork completes crazy comeback to advance to state title game

Tom Knotts stood on the 35-yard line, a party engulfing him, and looked over to the sideline where the J.L. Mann football team and its fans were clearing out.

The 14th-year Dutch Fork High head coach, with his tan hat, salt-and-pepper beard and the grittiness to wear shorts on a cold November night, stood shaking his head. In the aftermath of the Silver Foxes’ 31-30, come-from-behind victory, Knotts pointed his fingers to the opposing bleachers.

“Well, you could just see,” Knotts said. “They thought they had it won.”

Actually, well before Dutch Fork junior kicker Justin Welch booted a 39-yard field goal with seconds remaining, most folks thought J.L. Mann (11-3) had it won. Doesn’t matter what color they were wearing. Doesn’t matter who they were rooting for. Doesn’t matter how much they watch football.

No one is supposed to do what Dutch Fork (9-5) did on Friday to win the Class 5A upper state title and grab a spot in the state championship game on Dec. 1. To play in its 11th state title game in the past 12 seasons. (Darn 2015.) To earn another shot at White Knoll, which beat the Foxes earlier this season.

“I was praying for it,” said running back Trent Lodge of playing White Knoll again.

Football teams are not supposed to come back from a nine-point deficit in the final two-and-a-half minutes of a game. Especially not Dutch Fork on Friday, which gave up 20 first downs and made J.L. Mann senior receiver Mikel McClellan (14 catches, 196 yards, 2 TDs) look like NFL great Jerry Rice.

Especially not with a backup quarterback. In the second quarter, starter Ethan Offing suffered a leg injury that ended his night. In his place came Jon Hunt, the 6-foot-1 quarterback who has endured a challenging senior year. He was the Week One starter but separated his shoulder in the opener. Then, in the first game of the playoffs, he injured his hamstring and Offing took over.

“I prepare every week like I’m starting, like I’m playing the entire game,” Hunt said. “For this exact situation. I think it paid off.”

It did. But the fairy tale took a while, which feels apropos. There can’t be a fairy tale without adversity — and Hunt encountered plenty. He was not sharp for most of the second half, completing 38% of his passes while tossing three interceptions.

“He didn’t get a lot of practice this week,” Knotts said of Hunt. “(Jon) threw some really bad interceptions — and it fazed him but he came back.”

After J.L. Mann kicked a field goal to go up nine, Hunt led the Silver Foxes down the field in just over a minute and fired a rainbow to the corner of the end zone. With a defender at his waist, Dutch Fork receiver Boykin Bickley leapt up over his man and landed on his back with the ball in his hands.

Still, Dutch Fork was down two with 1:17 to play.

“I said, ‘Wait a minute, I’ve got three timeouts in my pocket,’ ” Knotts said “ ‘They’re not gonna try and do much. We’re gonna get a chance to get it back. Let’s just see what happens.’ ”

Even without recovering the onside kick, the Dutch Fork defense — which was stellar in the second half after a rough first — was turning Knotts into an oracle. They forced the Patriots to punt while the clock only wound down 20 seconds.

Helping matters was Jayden Westbrook, the Foxes’ electric punt returner who cut and shuffled his way 35 yards to the J.L. Mann 40-yard line.

On the sideline, Hunt had one thought: “Just (expletive) score.”

He hit senior Leyton Shuler over the middle for a first down, but a delay of game soon after backed them back up. After a few missed shots to the end zone, it was all on Welch, the 6-foot-1 junior who has been rumored to hit 60-yarders in practice.

“Just relied on my training,” Welsh said. “It’s just 39 (yards). I had to make it.”

J.L. Mann coach Scoot Watson iced him once. Then once more.

“It don’t bother him,” Knotts said. “He’s a soccer player. They’re a different breed.”

“I still had faith in him,”Lodge said.

“I closed my eyes,” Hunt added.

Welsh’s kick was true from the jump. It was a rocket that would have been good from 50. The Dutch Fork sideline erupted.

After the game, as Welsh was talking with reporters, his head coach waltzed over and wrapped the savior of the night in a bear hug.

“You had to do it three times,” Knotts told his kicker. “Great job. Great job.”

Another night ended with another Dutch Fork win — and Dutch Fork always seems to win this time of year. Down by nine late or not, the Foxes somehow always pull it out.

“We refuse to lose,” Hunt said. “We’re gonna find a way to win. It’s Dutch Fork, we’re gonna win.”