Flags were flying on the football field Friday night in a wild season finale for rivals Tyner and Brainerd.
In the end, Tyner's Rams secured the 41-13 road win to secure one of Region 3-2A's four spots in the state playoffs that start next week.
Tyner, which will travel for the first round, scored 34 of its points in the first half and was able to ride that early success the rest of the way.
"We played extremely well in the first half on both sides of the ball," Tyner coach Wayne Turner said. "We were running the ball well and throwing the ball well and forced some mistakes."
The Rams (7-3, 5-2 Region 3-2A) scored three times in the first half, twice on runs from Shannon Spralls that book-ended a blocked punt return. Spralls didn't find the end zone again, but he finished with 169 yards on 22 carries.
Juwan Samuels caught a 73-yard touchdown strike from Shaylan Bailey before Brainerd (3-7, 3-4) answered to make it 27-7. Panthers seniors Malik Beavers and Dajuonta Ross connected for a 40-yard score.
Beavers finished with 93 passing yards and 80 more on the ground. Ross had four catches for 72 yards.
"It's not the way the seniors wanted it to end, but they did all they could do. They played hard," Brainerd coach Brian Gwyn said. "Now they can look for college coaches to come in and see if they can continue their career."
Tyner got a 57-yard touchdown run from Jadarius Paris before Brainerd answered with Roderick Holloway's 50-yard fumble return for a score to end the half with Tyner up 34-13.
The slow second half was dominated by penalties and turnovers. The two teams combined for 24 penalties and five turnovers. Sixteen of those penalties went to Brainerd.
"We had opportunities and forced turnovers but didn't take advantage," Gwyn said. "You don't expect (that many penalties) on your home field."
Tyner scored the only touchdown of the second half with 4:05 to play in the fourth quarter as Brandon Jackson punched it in from 4 yards out.
"We got lackadaisical and relaxed when we went up 34-7, and we can't afford to do that in the playoffs," Turner said. "This is a rivalry game and there was a lot of emotion, some of which wasn't channeled in the right ways, but we'll take the positives from tonight and build on them."