Viking Host Dutch Fork

A week ago, Spartanburg got their first win of the season with a 21-14 win over Greenwood that ended in the wee hours of Saturday morning. It was a back and forth affair with Spartanburg taking the lead with 6:19 to go, before Greenwood went on top with 3:13 left, and then the Vikings took a lead they would not relinquish with just 39-seconds remaining. Now this week SHS is at home for the first time in 2026 as they take on the 1-0 reigning state champion Dutch Fork Silver Foxes.

Spartanburg Offense vs Dutch Fork Defense

It was another slow start for the Spartanburg offense on Friday night but at least this one can be partially blamed on outside factors. Weather impacted the first quarter and a half of the game with on and off delays that, coinciding with some personnel changes, made this an odd start for the Vikings. New Sr QB Aryan Desai was thrust into action and played very well, throwing for 162 yards and the game-winning touchdown.

One of the things that was so impressive about Spartanburg’s victory was how they responded to adversity. Sr RB Trenton Lynch, who had 290 yards vs Gaffney, was limited to just 29 yards on 10 carries and was out for most of the second half with a leg cramp. Fr RB Mayson Whiteside stepped up and scored his first career TD to go with 36 yards on 9 carries. In a game where Spartanburg’s offensive engine went down they got stellar performances from a freshman and a backup QB, which is huge for the culture of this squad.

Dutch Fork’s defense shut down Ridge View in their shortened game in week 2. Outside of one long touchdown on the second play from scrimmage the Blazers had virtually no room to work against the Silver Fox defense. Dutch Fork is led by an elite pair of pass rushers, with Sr DEs Jaden Wuerth and Peyton Bishop who both had double digit sacks a year ago.

Trenton Lynch’s health is paramount to Spartanburg’s chances of moving the ball efficiently in this one and he looks ready to play Friday night. When Lynch is on he is a game changing talent, he had 134 yards and 2 scores vs Dutch Fork a year ago. Also, the matchup between an improving Viking OL vs Dutch Fork’s star pass rush will be something to watch especially when it gets to a long third-down or late in either half.

Spartanburg Defense vs Dutch Fork Offense

The Viking defense was impressive against Greenwood holding the Eagles to just 35 yards passing and 144 rushing yards on 3.8 yards per carry. The Eagles offense was 5-for-13 on 3rd down and 1-for-2 on 4th down on Friday night. Sr LB Isiah Lipscomb once again led the unit with a 15-tackle game and this time on a would-be winning drive by the opponent they stood up and got the stop for the win. Through two games Spartanburg is holding teams to 58.5 passing yards per game and that will have to continue in week 3.

Dutch Fork is led by Sr QB Jaxon Knotts who led the Silver Foxes to the state title win last year with a strong season and he started his 2026 with a bang throwing for 151 yards, running for 91 more, and scoring 5 total touchdowns in just a quarter and a half of football. The Dutch Fork offense is explosive and added WRs with Sr Maleek Miller and So Corey Miller as transfers from Irmo. The brothers combined with 6’3 Sr Anderson Bean will pose a strong threat to the SHS secondary.

This Dutch Fork offense poses a much different threat to Spartanburg’s defense than they have faced in their first two games with Knotts’ skill throwing the ball. The Miller brothers aren’t as tall as the WRs that SHS has struggled with, but the 6’3 Bean could be an issue. The run defense has been improving and they’ll need to continue that improvement against a strong Dutch Fork run game as well.

Overall

Spartanburg has played two pretty good teams to open 2026 in Gaffney and Greenwood, but the Vikings have a whole different challenge in their home opener Dutch Fork. The Silver Foxes have one of the most talented rosters in the state, and dominated their lone game in less than a half of football. You can’t beat a team this talented while also being undisciplined but the penalties were still an issue in week two with 15 penalties for 148 yards.

They’ll have to clean up that operation and avoid a slow start on offense to hang in this one and give themselves a shot to beat Dutch Fork for the first time since 2023. The good news for Spartanburg is that they’ll have Trenton Lynch, and through him all things are possible.

You can hear our broadcast live on Fox Sports Spartanburg 98.3 FM this Friday night at 7:30. Catch our breakdown postgame on Victory Formation and our recap that’ll be here on spartanburgsportsradio.com.