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By CODY TOMER
SISTERSVILLE--The number of players are down somewhat this year at Tyler Consolidated, but the expectations heading into the 2017 campaign are very high.
The Silver Knights are coming off of a 6-4 season last year and a playoff appearance. In fact, they have reached the playoffs in two of the last three years but have been unable to advance into the next round. Head coach Ryan Walton hopes to change that this year.
"Things are going OK so far," Walton said. "Our numbers are down this year but the guys that we have, want to work and get better. They are buying into everything we are doing and they are working hard.
"We have been to the playoffs in two of the last three years but were knocked out in the first round. We don't want to be satisfied with just making the playoffs. We want to get in and hopefully make a little bit of noise. I'm not laying out any guarantees, but that's what we are striving for. We are going to work at it and hopefully get there."
If the Knights are going to accomplish their goal, they will have to fill the void left by 10 graduates, including three key contributors.
Offensively, the rushing attack of graduates Jace Reed and Tyler Anderson that combined for 42 scores a season ago will need restored, along with the defensive presence of Reed, Anderson and Brandon Keys.
"Two big guys we lost to graduation were Reed and Anderson," Walton said. "It is going to be a challenge to replace them.
"We lost some key guys on defense in Reed, Anderson and Keys. Keys was a big loss. He played middle linebacker and pointed people in the right direction for us."
With the number of players at a minimum and big shoes to fill on both sides of the ball, there will be several players pulling double duty for the Silver Knights.
"We are going to have a lot of guys playing both ways," Walton said. "We will have guys play the first, last and every snap in between, but that is Class A football and we are going to go with it."
One player who is returning for Tyler is the young, but experienced, junior quarterback, Griffin Phillips.
Phillips threw for more than 1,000 yards as a sophomore, while leading the Knights to a playoff appearance in his first full season as a starter.
"Phillips started a couple of games as a freshman, but he started all 11 games for us last year," Walton said. "He made a playoff start and now has about 14 games under his belt. He got some valuable experience as a sophomore and we will lean on him in the backfield."
Sophomore Gage Huffman will provide backup quarterback duties and play safety for the Silver Knights.
Phillips' supporting cast is very athletic with guys like seniors Nate Lancaster, Colby Buchanan and Kyle Mason, along with sophomore Mark Rucker.
"Lancaster has been one of those guys that lead blocks for everybody," Walton said. "He is going to get a shot at carrying the ball for us this year and we will see what he can do.
"Rucker got on the field last year as a freshman and contributed pretty well, so he is going to be in the backfield for some plays, as well."
Buchanan and Mason are two athletes who showed off their skills on the baseball diamond last year, too, by leading Tyler to one of its strongest seasons in school history.
"Buchanan is a good athlete," Walton said. "He is a four-year starter and started on defense as a freshman. He is going to be in the backfield a little bit and Mason is going to be outside. Mason has great speed and really good hands.
"We have guys who are capable of carrying the ball and guys who are capable of catching the ball, so hopefully, we will fly around, be physical and get after people. That is what we want."
Also supplying depth at the receiver position is senior Brandon Weigle and juniors Quintin Southerly, Hunter Forester and Riley Leasure.
Along with the rest of the team, the offensive line will be mixed with some veterans and rookies.
Leading Tyler up front will be senior Dylan Glover at the center spot and he will be aided by senior Cory Chipps at tackle.
"Glover has been there for three years and provides some experience," Walton said. "Chipps is in his second year starting and we have three guys on the offensive line who have started before. Then, we have a couple of other guys who are brand new to it. We are going to rely on the upperclassmen to help out the underclassmen.
"When somebody graduates, we just try to plug someone else in to take their place. We are mixed with a little bit of experience and some guys that are pretty raw. It is going to be interesting but we are working at it here in August and they are picking up what we are putting down."
Seniors Levi Smith, Timothy Adams and Thomas Owens will provide Tyler Consolidated with leadership, along with juniors George Tennant, Jacob Rice, Billy Joe and Cody Klages.
Five freshmen who are looking to make a name for themselves include Jacob Medley, Nick Dibell, Austin Craven, Jacob America and David Throckmorton.
"We are just going to go at it and hope we are injury free this year," Walton said. "We can't afford to have any injuries. That is where the low numbers kick in and hurts you but we got every position filled right now, so we will just show up and see what happens."