Big plays - a Tyner tradition every time the Rams have been a playoff threat - were on full display early and often Friday night.
The Rams had 11 plays of 15 yards or more, including their first three touchdowns in the first half of an impressive 36-22 Region 3-2A win over visiting Polk County.
Tyner (1-2, 1-0) had a 14-0 lead before the Wildcats' offense set foot on the field. On the game's second snap, quarterback Jaylen Bowens hit Jeremiah Batiste on a short pass, and the sophomore speedster outran the pursuit 82 yards for the touchdown. After a turnover on the ensuing kickoff, the Rams were back in the end zone in four plays, this time a 27-yard run from senior Jeremy Elston on a toss sweep to the right.
"Those big plays really got us pumped up to start the game," said Elston, who finished with 136 yards on 11 carries with two TD runs and a 48-yard scoring reception as well as a two-point conversion run late. "I was just trying to do whatever I could to help my team get a big win.
"This one should give us a lot of confidence in what we can do moving forward."
The Rams threatened to put the game away late in the first quarter, but Polk's Austin Watson stripped a Tyner ball carrier deep in Wildcats territory and returned it 58 yards. That turnover allowed the Wildcats to creep back into the game, as they covered the final 17 yards in five plays with quarterback Nate Waters scoring on a 1-yard sneak.
Tyner responded with the 48-yard TD pass from Bowens to Elston, but Polk County (1-2, 0-1) again answered with a long kickoff return and a 22-yard scoring drive, ended by Hunter Morgan's 1-yard run to pull the visitors within one score at halftime.
But Tyner put an end to the drama with TD drives on two of its first three second-half possessions, Elston scoring on a 9-yard run and Martavius Ryals capping a 66-yard drive with a 5-yard run early in the fourth.
"We needed that, no doubt," Tyner coach Wayne Turner said of the win that snapped the disappointing two losses that began the season. "We've got to stop making so many stupid mistakes. That cost us last week, and it kept this game close for longer than it should have."
Tyner won despite turning the ball over four times and committing six penalties.
"Jeremy runs hard for us every game. He's a game-breaker," Turner said. "We've got to keep getting him some help and clean up some of the mistakes, and we could be pretty good. It's just been a consistency problem so far, but we've got some guys who can play.
"The big plays early kind of set the tone for us, and there were some signs of what we can do on offense. We're young up front, in the middle of our line, but this was a big region win against a good team."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.