SETH — In a Class A opening round playoff game here Friday night at a rainy and cold Zontini Field, No. 6 Sherman advanced to the quarterfinals after eliminating No. 11 Tyler Consolidated, 30-14.

The Silver Knights of second-year head coach Kyle Ritz, who finished the season at 6-5, opened the game with five straight runs from Branson Winfrey as the visitors went from their own 35 to the Tide 30. However, on a fourth-and-long play TCHS quarterback Brady Strode was intercepted by River Williams, who returned it 23 yards to the Silver Knight 42.

Despite a Reese Davis tackle for loss to force a third-and-7, Dawson Green went for 9 yards to get the first down and then toted it for a dozen stripes to reach the red zone. Two plays later, signal-caller Eli Pauley found paydirt from 9 yards out and the visitors trailed 8-0 following the conversion run.

Tyler Consolidated proceeded to march 71 yards to tie the score in the second quarter. A Strode completion to Cayden Hall got the Silver Knights into Sherman territory and Winfrey later scored from the 3. The game was even following Strode’s conversion run, despite not being able to initially handle the snap in the rain.

Sherman, which improved to 9-2 and is likely to head to No. 3 Wahama next week barring an upset by No. 14 Madonna, managed to find paydirt to grab the lead at intermission. Despite a holding call which gave the hosts the ball first-and-20 at the TCHS 39, Trey Lester broke off a 10-yard run and then followed it up with a 29-yard dart to the end zone. Lester, who left via injury in the second half, ran in the conversion for the 16-8 cushion with 3:12 still left on the clock.

The Tide had a prime opportunity to go up by two scores before the break after Colby Atkins recovered a Tyler Consolidated fumbled reverse attempt. However, the TCHS defense held as the Tide turned it over on downs in the red zone.

Sherman, which gave fourth-year head coach Kevin Buzzard his first playoff victory, took the opening possession of the second half and marched to the TCHS 25 before a personal foul and a Davis interception of Pauley.

Staring down a fourth-and-15 at the Tide 30, Strode found Davis for an 18-yard completion and two plays later Winfrey reached the end zone from 11 yards out. The conversion run failed as the Tide still led 16-14 at the 5:43 mark.

When the fourth quarter started the Silver Knights had the ball at their own 16. Although the visitors managed one first down they were forced to punt.

Sherman’s offense was stymied by the Silver Knights, who took over at their own 20 with about 7:30 left in the affair. Facing a fourth-and-1 at their own 29, coach Ritz went for it but they came up just inches short. However, the Silver Knights forced a turnover on downs and regained possession with four-plus minutes remaining at their own 26.

Disaster struck for TCHS on the third play of the drive as Pauley stepped in front of a Strode aerial and housed it from around 30 yards away. Tyler Consolidated managed to stop the two-point pass and trailed 22-14 with 3:16 left on the clock.

Needing a touchdown and the conversion to tie, the Silver Knights had a huge scrambling run from Strode on a fourth-and-13 snap from the TCHS 33, but it was called back due to an illegal formation.

Strode’s pass on fourth down fell incomplete as Green’s 1-yard plunge and Pauley’s run for two set the final score.

The playoff win for the Tide was their first since a 44-8 victory back in 2018 versus Parkersburg Catholic.