The Tyler Consolidated Silver Knight varsity football team started the game on Friday with the Magnolia Blue Eagles with intensity and emotion, and ended the same way 48 minutes later with the Knights on the short end of the 44-11 score.

The Knights took little time in putting three points on the scoreboard as junior Drew Casey kicked a field goal through the uprights to give the Silver their first points of the 2011 season.

Consolidated held the Blue Eagles tough on their first possession of the ball, but Blue Eagle Gage Deem recovered a fumble and took it in for the visitors first score. At the end of the first quarter, Magnolia led the Knights, 13-3, and would keep the lead until the final seconds ticked off the clock.

With 21 seconds to play, pure Knight determination had Dakota Brennaman scoring on a 19 yard pass from Cole Kocher. Sophomore Jacob Highley ran the ball in for two more points to put the score at 11-44.

“We saw improvement over previous weeks,” said head coach of the Silver Knights, Rob Caldwell. “We played better in spurts, and while that was good, we need to put a whole game together for 48 minutes. We had a few costly turnovers that put us behind the 8-ball, and we have to eliminate those. We still have work to do, and that’s what we’re going to be doing. We need a complete game.”

The Silver Knights achieved six first down in the game to Magnolia’s 15. The Knights collected 29 rushing yards and 115 passing yards for a total of 129 yards in the game. The Blue Eagles had 260 rushing yards on 30 carries and 77 passing yards for a total of 333 yards in the game. The Eagles lost two of four fumbles while the Knights lost two of three.

Offensively for the Silver, Cole Kocher completed one of one passes for 19 yards; Hunter Lemaster completed four of 12 passes for 96 yards and Skyler Leasure completed one of one pass.

Leasure was the leading rusher for the home team with 18 yards on six carries; Jacob Highley had 10 yards on eight carries including a run for a two point conversion; Evan Cline rushed the ball six times for four yards.

Junior Koty Martin caught two passes for 67 yards; Levi Henderson caught two passes for 29 yards and Dakota Brennaman caught one pass for 19 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Hunter LeMasters led the defense with nine solo tackles, three assists and batted down a pass; Jacob Highley was credited with seven solo tackles and one assist; Levi Henderson had five solo tackles, four assists, and batted down a pass; Martin had three solo tackles, two assists and blocked a pass; Swen Scheidemantel had three solo tackles, one special teams assist and recovered a fumble; Evan Cline had three solo tackles; Skyler Leasure had two solos and one assist; Kyle Jones, two solo tackles; Slade Dillon, two solos, and one assist; Drew Casey, two solos and one assist; Jay Earley, one solo tackle; Nathan Billiter, one solo, one blocked pass; Spencer Billings had one special team solo tackle; Cole Kocher, one assist; and Dakota Allen recovered a fumble.

The Silver Knights hope to add a notch in the win column this week as they travel to St. Marys, also looking for their first win of the season, on Thursday to take on the Blue Devils. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.