CLEVELAND, Tenn. — A word to the wise for anyone planning to attend a Bradley Central football game: Be sure to arrive early and claim a spot with a good view.
Otherwise, any late arrivals might miss the main attraction — the Bears' high-octane offense, which wastes no time in creating highlight plays.
TSSAA Class 6A's second-ranked Bears lived up to their billing Friday night, jumping out to a three-score lead in the first quarter and cruising to a 40-7 nonregion win over visiting Tyner.
On the first play from scrimmage, Boo Carter collected a lateral toss from quarterback Kaleb Martin, got an excellent block by teammate Tito Williams to seal the edge, then raced past the rest of the Tyner pursuit for a 46-yard touchdown.
That set the tone early, and Carter later added a 21-yard touchdown reception in which he broke one tackle before lowering his head and plowing over two Rams defenders on his way to the end zone.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night's Chattanooga-area prep football games)
"Whenever you put the ball in Boo's hands, he's going to make something happen," Bears coach Damon Floyd said. "He was getting double-teamed all night and still found a way.
"Everybody knows Boo can do some special things, but the thing with our offense is we've got so many guys who can break big plays. It puts a lot of pressure on the other team to defense all over the field."
After Tyner (0-2) cut the deficit to 21-7 on a 24-yard toss from Jamarie Ballard to Sharkem Wells, Bradley (2-0) answered right back with three more scores in the second quarter to take a 40-7 lead into halftime.
Jackson Wilson, who led the Bears with 74 yards on eight carries, scored on a 24-yard run then added a 14-yard scoring reception, and Tito Williams added a defensive touchdown just before halftime when he returned a fumble 20 yards.
The Bears held Tyner to 140 yards of offense, including an average of just 2.9 yards on 30 rushes.
"One of the things I was really pleased with tonight was how our guys came out ready to play right away," Floyd said. "We stayed focused and didn't get caught up in believing the hype around the team this week.
"I thought we were pretty solid defensively, although I was a little frustrated with the bust in coverage that gave them their touchdown. We're going to have to be a lot better on both sides next week."
Bradley Central hosts third-ranked Maryville (2-0) in a key Region 2-6A showdown next Friday.
"Nothing else needs to be said about that one," Floyd added. "There's a lot riding on that one for such an early-season game. There's no other way to put it, it's a huge game."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.