Gaffney football beats Byrnes, sets up Upper State championship game against Dutch Fork

GAFFNEY — After a rocky start to the 2022 season that saw Gaffney (9-3) have its first losing record at any point since 2017, the defending AAAAA state champion has advanced to the Upper State championship game, avenging its Week 10 loss to Byrnes (9-4) and setting up a rematch of the 2021 state championship game against Dutch Fork (12-1).

"We started out a little sluggish this season ... we had a bunch of young kids go over to Rock Hill and get smoked by South Pointe, and the kids didn't realize what kind of team they could be, but they kept practicing, kept playing hard," said Gaffney coach Dan Jones.

"We told them they were talented, they just had to keep grinding and they were able to do that, and they got a little bit of confidence and once they got the confidence we started rolling a little bit."

STATE SEMIFINALS: SC high school football brackets for 2022 playoffs: SCHSL semifinals pairings

FOOTBALL SCORES: SC high school football playoffs scores for SCHSL quarterfinals in South Carolina

FAMILY RIVALRY: Clemson football commit has score to settle with cousin in Daniel vs. Powdersville quarterfinal

Led by quarterback and Duke commit Grayson Loftis' 265-yard and two-touchdown performance and its defense that held the Rebels to just 158 total yards, Gaffney beat Byrnes 34-28, while Dutch Fork beat Spartanburg 63-14 in the other Upper State quarterfinal game.

Dutch Fork will travel to Cherokee County next week to face Gaffney, which has proven to be a key advantage for the defending champion, as it's lost only four home games in the past six seasons.

"They're the best group of fans in the state, and will probably rival any fanbase in the country, they're gonna ride with us until the end, they're gonna be loud and rambunctious, so that's a huge help. It's truly like having a 12th man on the football field," said Loftis.

Not only does this victory keep Gaffney's chances at winning back-to-back state championships intact, it also marks the 121st in Jones' tenure as Gaffney football coach — the most in program history — after being named the interim coach in 2010.

Jones surpassed Gaffney legendary coach Bob Prevatte's 119 wins in the second round after a 42-7 win over J.L. Mann, and now is two wins away from his third state championship in his 13th season at Gaffney.

"It's been a blessing to be a part of his time here at Gaffney, and he's been a huge blessing in our lives to be here at Gaffney," Loftis said. "He's a championship-winning coach and we kind of wish people would stop doubting him."

But before Jones and the Gaffney faithful can start measuring their ring fingers, planning parades, and printing shirts with clever puns alluding to 'back-to-back' state championship runs, they have to beat Dutch Fork to get to the state championship game.

DUTCH FORK ROLLING THROUGH REGION 2: Dutch Fork tops Dorman, starts journey through Region 2 top teams in football playoffs

FLASHBACK TO 2021 MATCHUP: Gaffney senior Landon Bullock catalyzes end to Dutch Fork unbeaten streak, state title run

Despite beating Dutch Fork last season 22-19, and ending the Silver Foxes' five-year reign over South Carolina's highest classification, both sides know these are not the same teams, with both losing plenty of talent on either side of the ball — especially Gaffney losing its backfield tandem of SC State running back Tyler Smith and Limestone's Ken Littlejohn, and Dutch Fork losing its passing tandem of Clemson receiver Antonio Williams and quarterback Davin Patterson.

Regardless of their roster losses, this season was an opportunity for a new crop of players to emerge and returning players to step up.

For Gaffney, Duke commit, Loftis has been a leader under center, constantly finding speedy athlete Edward Jefferies — who holds multiple Division I offers — all over the field. On defense, Appalachian St. commit Nathan Johnson (DE), Missouri commit Brayshawn Littlejohn (OLB), and star sophomore inside linebackers Clay Cook and Andrew Ruppe have all been vital to Gaffney's title defense.

For Dutch Fork, James Madison committed running back Jarvis Green has again stepped up for the Silver Foxes and been the leader of their offense, while Virginia-bound safety Landon Danley has been the anchor of a defense that has only allowed 12.4 points a game this season.

"Our defensive front from the South Pointe game to now has grown a lot. We've improved every week," Littlejohn said. "Come next week, we know what Jarvis (Green) can do, since last year, but we know what we can do. So we know if we stop the run, we're going to beat them."

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Gaffney football advances to Upper State championship vs Dutch Fork