Gaffney battled back from a 12-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat Dutch Fork 22-19 for the South Carolina AAAAA state championship. The win snaps Dutch Fork’s streak of five straight 5A state titles and the Silver Foxes’ 62-game win streak.
The game-winning score came late in the fourth quarter when quarterback Grayson Loftis connected with Suga Jefferies on a 40-yard touchdown. Jefferies finished with seven catches for 153 yards and two scores.
Loftis completed 23 of 35 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns.
The teams entered the game ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the High School Football America South Carolina Top 10, powered by NFL Play Football. In addition to being No. 1 in the state, Dutch Fork was ranked No. 14 in the nation.
With the victory, Gaffney should now rise from its No. 85 national ranking when our new High School Football America 100 is released on Sunday.
