Alex Smith
Despite all the obstacles everyone faced in 2020, one thing remained the same, and that is that the Dorman Cavaliers were once again good on the football field. Coach Dave Gutshall finished his 28th season as the Dorman head coach by winning a fourth consecutive Region title, with victories over Riverside, Spartanburg and Byrnes along the way. The Cavaliers once again plugged in a new quarterback last season with Zay Foster, and once again it seemed like the offense didn’t miss a beat rolling up 69 points in the season opener against Riverside. They then had a close loss to Gaffney out of region, before winning the next three games by an average of nearly 30 points per game. The season eventually ended with a 27-21 loss to Northwestern in the playoffs.
Coach Gutshall will once again be replacing his quarterback this season, as well as his top two rushers from 2020. Gone are Chance Black and Ty Lindsay, who led a ground attack that averaged over 250 yards per contest last year. The Cavaliers enter this fall with an open competition at the quarterback position. Coach Gutshall has said that as many as three or four players will get snaps in preseason scrimmages. Xion Kilbourn and D.J. Porter are two names to watch for early in the year. They have very different styles so it wouldn’t surprise me if the Cavaliers have a two quarterback system, with a different package for each player. Dorman lost a ton of talent at the skill positions to graduation, but they do have some playmakers returning. Kendall Norman, Hudson Lee and Demarius Foster are a few that could see action on both offense and defense.
Despite all the new faces, the Cavaliers will once again be one of the favorites in Region II-5A. They will be tested early with non-region games against Boiling Springs and on the road against Fort Dorchester. I think this year’s Cavaliers team will look much like other teams in recent years. I look for a power running game led by a big offensive line, and an athletic defense that can overwhelm opponents with both power and speed. It’s year 29 under Coach Gutshall and I expect he will once again have his team positioned to make a deep playoff run.
