(warning: this will be a long post)Before I start this long post I want to give a congratulations to Dorman on a great season. I am not overly familiar with upstate football outside of this board, but I have always had a ton of respect for Dorman and their fans. You guys had a great year and the excitement for my win was tempered by the fact that I really did feel bad for the Dorman players and fans who were just as excited about the possibility of winning as I was. It really is a shame that someone has to leave a state championship game disappointed because it really is such a huge achievement to even make it there...and I have no doubt the Dorman will find a way back to the big game in no time. It was great to finally meet Decav, and also super glad to be able to meet a few of my fellow posters like EHS,SFbanddad and Newcat.
As far as the game I really don't want to go into too much detail because I'm sure anyone interested either watched the game, followed on scorestream or was paying attention online. Despite the lopsided score I felt the game was pretty evenly matched. Fort capitalized on some really costly turnovers and that proved to be a huge factor in the game. The few minutes before halftime and the few minutes to start the 3rd quarter was definitely the difference in the game and in both cases it was turnovers that aided in the advantage. With only a few minutes before halftime the game was tied at 17 with both teams answering each others scoring drives through the first half. With Fort receiving the 2nd half kickoff I knew that there was the potential for the old 2-for-1 scoring opportunity. When Fort scored to go up 24-17 with about 1 minute to go before halftime I was excited that the Patriots had an opportunity to get 2 drives in a row, but I was nervous that there was enough time for Dorman's explosive offense to answer before halftime...right on cue the Fort defense stepped up with a huge interception, which led to a Datron James TD with no time left on the clock. And just like that it was 31-17. Receiving the opening kickoff Fort went on a quick drive to go up 38-17 and on the ensuing kickoff recovered a fumble that was converted into a score soon after to put it at 45-17. In about 4 minutes of game time (2 minutes before half, 2 minutes after half) the game went from a 17-17 slugfest to a 45-17 blowout. Both teams traded scores a few more times and the 59-31 final was in the books. If you look at the game from a realistic perspective both teams played very even and it was that little 4 minute span that gave Fort the huge advantage.
RB #28 Datron James had another big day - 137 yards rushing and 3 TDs, so did WR #81 Champagne who had 129 yards and a TD. WR #14 Simmons had 85 yards and a TD, and WR #12 had a 43 yard receiving TD and a 40 yard TD pass (his 2nd of the year). And of course you have QB #5 Joyner who had yet another huge day - 300+ yards passing and 3TDs, and 63 yards rushing and 1 TD. In total the offense had 537 yards and put 59 points on the board - the 5th time they have scored 50+ this season. The offensive line opened holes and protected the QB all day, really gonna miss having some of those guys next year.
15-0 and state champs is such a huge accomplishment. Going into this season I thought that NEXT year (2016) would be the year to push for a championship...I knew that there were some young guys and some inexperience on both sides of the ball and a run at a state title was not something I would have predicted in the preseason. In fact the article in the local paper in the preseason mentioned question marks for the 2015 Patriots as the headline. But those question marks and young players and these coaches and leaders on the team proved me and alot of others wrong, because this was absolutely the best Fort team I have ever seen play, and I'm not sure how they could do any better than what they did this year. There are so many seniors on this team that had such a huge impact, not just the big name guys that put up huge numbers and have D1 scholarship offers...but guys that you could see on the sideline always encouraging each other and keeping a positive energy with the players and fans. I'll miss watching so many of the seniors, but there is no better way to end your high school football career than to go out as undefeated state champs.
I want to give a special shout out to the coaches too. I have been so critical of Fort coaches over the years, and I know I probably ruffled quite a few feathers with that criticism in the past, but the reason I got so upset was I am very passionate about Fort football, and I get emotionally invested to the point where I can't help but speak up...make no mistake about it I said those things because I really, really, REALLY care about this football program. But what's fair is fair - I criticized coaches when they preformed poorly, so I have to give them credit when they perform greatly - and this season I can say without a doubt that this entire coaching staff was phenomenal. From offensive/defensive playcalling, to in-game adjustments, to coaching up on the sideline between series, having the team mentally/physically prepared each week, game planning each week and keeping the players disciplined I have no complaints at all about the job the coaching staff did this season. I really believe that coaching was one of the biggest strengths of this squad and I was thoroughly impressed over the course of the season and especially in these playoffs.
The fans too were great this whole year. The whole community really, from fans to the band to cheerleaders, there was alot of love going around in the FD area. Today was a great example, I saw so many people from the area at the game today, people I hadn't seen since high school over 10 years ago, players from Fort teams of the early 2000's and late 90s, retired teachers, and old friends from my childhood neighborhood all took the trip to Columbia, and it was great to win the game today among this group that like me has been waiting a very very long time for this state championship. I was proud to be around so many fans today.
As far as the rest of the team goes...wow what a year. You guys had some close calls against Goose Creek (twice) and Cane Bay, you had some impressive blowouts over quality teams, beat rivals like Ashley Ridge, and important as always (to me) put a nice 30+ point victory on Summerville. I could write a post as long as this one on the offense alone, I will try to keep it brief but 3170 yards rushing and 3184 yards passing over the season and averaged almost 45 points per game over the season. Joyner exceeded all expectations for his sophomore year with 4000 yards of offense and 44 TD's, Datron James had a great senior season and had over 2000 yards and 25+ TD's this year. Diondre Champagne came out of nowhere midway through the season and ended up with over 1000 yards receiving and 15+ TD's. And WR's Sanders and Simmons both had 40+ catches and 700+ yards receiving. The offensive line dominated all season, led by John Simpson and Chris Morales, but across the whole line we had size and physicality that allowed Fort to be a tough running team when they needed to be, and protected the QB when the team needed to attack through the air. I don't want to forget about the defense though...so much youth and inexperience to start the season - a few leaders in the secondary, but Fort had to replace some very good players on the defensive side of the ball from last season and that had me worried. The defense did have it's rough spots in a few games, but they played big time in big games and Fort would definitely not be state champions right now had it not been for the huge amount of turnovers they caused late in the season and especially in the playoffs...I'm pretty sure the turnover margin in the playoffs for Fort Dorchester is in the 15+ range and that's not an exaggeration. That is HUGE and again was essential in not only the win today, but the wins over Goose Creek and Boiling Springs. This was a complete team, and it took every single player on the roster to reach the goals they reached today.
As for the future...we'll see what happens, but remember what I said at the beginning of this post. I had targeted 2016 as the year for a championship push for this team. Yes Fort loses some key guys, but they also return playmakers on both sides of the ball. Make no mistake about it... the 2015 team was very very special and I can't say I expect a repeat performance in 2016, but with so any returning pieces I expect some big things for the 2016 squad. You can't replace guys like Simpson, Morales, James, Champagne, Hartzog, Seay, Rouse, Basley, Shaw and the rest of the seniors and leaders...but if you look at the Fort Dorchester roster you'll see mostly 10th and 11th graders. If the coaching staff stays intact, certain key players remain healthy and we get some production from young guys at other key positions the 2016 team has real opportunity.
So again congrats to all the Fort Dorchester players, coaches, fans and alumni!!!!
15-0 and 4A Division 1 State Champions!!
