Branson Winfrey follows his blockers.

The Tyler Consolidated Silver Knights football season came to an end on Friday November 22 in the first round of the WVSSAC football playoffs on the road in Seth WV. The 11th seeded Knights made the three hour trip to take on the 6th seeded Sherman Tide and fell by the score of 30-14. The weather was not ideal as rain continued throughout the chilly evening making the already bad field conditions worse. The game was closer than the score as Sherman scored twice late in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory.

Sherman would get on the board with 3:50 left in the first quarter on a nine yard run and added the two point conversion to lead 8-0 heading to the second. The Silver Knights would tie the score with 7:50 left in the second on a four yard run by Branson Winfrey with Brady Strode adding the two point conversion. The Tide would score again on a 30 yard run and two point conversion to make the score 16-8 at halftime. The Knights came out of the locker room and went on an 80 yard drive with Branson Winfrey going the final 11 yards to pay dirt. The two point conversion attempt failed and left the Knights trailing 16-14 headed to the final quarter. Sherman broke the game open in the fourth on a pick six with 3:47 left to play and added another score with 1:47 left to warp up the win.

Offensively for the Knights Branson Winfrey would rush 28 times for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Sloppy conditions made throwing the ball extremely difficult as Brady Strode would only complete seven passes for 72 yards with two completions going to Reese Davis for 29 yards and three to Bo Tallman for 24 yards. On defense the Knights were led by Kayden Utt with six solo tackles and four assists. Branson Winfrey had five solo tackles, one assist and one tackle for loss. Garrett Bordenkircher added three solos, one assist and two tackles for loss. Cayden Hall chipped in with three solos tackles and five assists. Silver Knights with two solo tackles included Trysten Magruder, Brady Strode, Nate Deaton and Gideon Winfrey.

The Silver Knights finished the 2024 season with a 6-5 record and were led by Branson Winfrey with 1,471 yards and 20 touchdowns. Brother Gideon Winfrey finished with 374 yards and one touchdown. Cayden Hall added 160 yards and three touchdowns while quarterback Brady Strode threw for 1,551 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Coach Ritz wrapped up the season by saying, “As the 2024 football season comes to a close with our recent loss to Sherman HS on Friday, I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey our team has undertaken this year. The hard work, dedication, and resilience displayed by our players have been nothing short of inspiring.”

Coach Ritz went on to emphasize the seven seniors who have poured their hearts into the program over the years. “Their leadership and contributions have paved the way for future successes, and we are confident that they will carry the lessons learned on the field into their next chapters in life. We wish them all the best as they move forward, knowing that they will achieve great things.”