Dutch Fork Defeats Sumter 55-26 After Lengthy Weather Delay

By Thomas Grant Jr.

Contributing Writer

Columbia – The arrival of wide receivers Maleek and Corey Miller from archrival Irmo was expected to have a positive impact for 4-time defending Class 5A champion Dutch Fork.

So far, it appears those high expectations are getting exceeded, specifically by the older Miller.

Friday’s 55-26 win over Sumter was highlighted by a virtuoso performance by the senior.  With lightning and heavy rains delaying the Silver Foxes’ home opener against Sumter for 3-plus hours, Maleek Miller helped quarterback Jaxon Knotts put up career numbers.

Of the 15 passes on 19 attempts Knotts completed for 384 yards and four touchdowns, Miller was the primary target.  He finished with 238 yards on eight receptions, three of which resulted in eye-catching (no pun attended) touchdowns.

“The standards are definitely different and it’s definitely higher,” said Miller about transferring to Dutch Fork.  “I feel like that it’s made me a better person and I made the right choice to come over here.”

“Maleek Miller put on a show and I’d like to say that was pretty good coaching on my part, but it’s pretty smart giving Maleek Miller the ball,”  Dutch Fork head coach Tom Knotts said. “He made them look silly sometimes.  I’ve been telling him that he can do that kind of thing and tonight, he finally came alive and showed what he’s capable of.”

Dutch Fork scored on its opening drive of five plays and 80 yards. It started with a 27-yard reception by younger brother Corey Miller and ended with an 18-yard fade route caught in the endzone by Maleek Miller.

After Sumter quarterback Frank Richardson was stopped on fourth down at the Dutch Fork 17, the Silver Foxes put together another 5-play, 80-yard plus scoring drive.  A 43-yard run by Mitchell Robinson was followed by another connection by Knotts to Corey for 26 yards.

Back-to-back rushes by Quintin Wilson set up the first of two short scoring runs by Knotts to make it 13-0.  Play was stopped immediately after the PAT as school alarms indicating the arrival of lightning forced fans to exit the stadium.

When play resumed at 11:45 p.m., Sumter used its powerful running game for its first touchdown.  A 13-yard run by Jamarion Witherspoon, who had a team-high 180 rushing yards, capped a nine-play, 71-yard scoring drive.

The Gamecocks answered a quick touchdown by Dutch Fork with another time-consuming scoring drive. Richardson’s first of two touchdown runs capped a 15-play, 83-yard scoring drive, but Sumter missed another PAT.

After a timeout with five seconds left at the Dutch Fork 37, Knotts completed a screen pass to Miller.  Initially following his lead blocker, Miller broke into open field and into the endzone to put the Silver Foxes up at halftime 27-12.

“That big score at the end of the first half, when we really couldn’t stop ‘em and he went and scored, I think that really hurt (Sumter),” Tom Knotts said. “It hurt their confidence. I think they knew they couldn’t every really stop us. But when he scored at the end of the first half, that was big.”

Knotts and Maleek Miller hooked up a final time in the third quarter. This time, Knotts found an open Miller downfield and he burst past three Sumter defenders enroute to a 67-yard touchdown to make it 41-13 in the third quarter.

“We were able to get on the same page pretty well,” Maleek Miller said. “We’ve been working all summer. Before the summer, we’ve been putting in work. So, we knew it was going to be like this.”

Both teams had two scoring drives to close out the scoring.

The win improved Dutch Fork (4-0) to 6-0 all-time against Sumter. It was also the Silver Foxes’ 13^th consecutive victory, their 23^rd straight win against in-state teams and 22^nd in a row at home overall.



Dutch Fork closes out non-region play next against Gray Collegiate Academy. The Gamecocks play host to Dorman, who ironically defeated the Millers’ former school Irmo in overtime 20-14 on Friday.