The magical 2023 season for the Henryetta Golden Knight varsity football team came to a close this past Friday night at Idabel High School.

The Knights’ best season since finishing 7-4 in 2010 came to an abrupt end on Friday with a 28-14 loss to the undefeated and seventh-ranked Idabel Warriors in the opening round of the Class 2A state football playoffs.

The first-round setback ends the Knights’ 2023 campaign with a 6-5 record and featured a 3-game winning streak to end the regular season.

In last Friday’s opening-round battle with Idabel, the host Warriors opened the scoring with an 8-yard run by quarterback Waylon Phillips at the 2:27 mark of the opening frame. Dylan Parker’s successful PAT kick gave Idabel the early 7-0 advantage after one quarter of action.

With 7:34 left before halftime, Phillips connected with Matrail Lopez on a 19-yard TD pass to extend Idabel’s lead to double digits. Parker once again toed the extra-point kick to give the Warriors a 14-0 lead.

The Knights broke onto the scoreboard at the 2:39 mark of the second quarter on a 28-yard TD pass from Brady Norman to Nathan Nail. Blaze Hill split the uprights with the PAT kick to make it a 14-7 contest.

Idabel closed out the first-half scoring with a 4-yard TD run by Phillips with 1:26 left in the second stanza. Parker’s successful PAT kick sent the teams to the intermission with the Knights trailing by 14 points, 21-7.

The Knights began the second-half scoring with a 2-yard run by Nick Hudson at the 2:32 mark of the third quarter. Hill once again made good on the PAT kick to make it a 21-14 contest.

Ten seconds later, the host Warriors pushed their lead back to double digits, 28-14, with a 57-yard TD run by Lopez and successful extra-point kick by Parker.

Neither team found the end zone the remaining 14:22 of regulation to hand the Knights the season-ending 28-14 setback.

— Idabel 28, Henryetta 14

Henryetta: 0 – 7 – 7 – 0 (14) Idabel: 7 – 14 – 7 – 0 (28) — First Quarter

Idabel – Waylon Phillips, 8-yard run (Dylan Parker kick); 2:27 — Second Quarter

Idabel – Matrail Lopez, 19-yard pass from Phillips (Parker kick); 7:34 Henryetta – Nathan Nail, 28-yard pass from Brady Norman (Blaze Hill kick); 2:39 Idabel – Phillips, 4-yard run (Parker kick); 1:26 — Third Quarter

Henryetta – Nick Hudson, 2-yard run (Hill kick); 2:32 Idabel – Lopez, 57-yard run (Parker kick); 2:22 — Fourth Quarter No Score