JASPER, Tenn. - Standing with one hand resting on one of his player's shoulder pads and the other thrusting his index finger into the air, Tyner football coach Wayne Turner made an emphatic statement to his team huddled around him.
"You just knocked off the defending region champion, and now we're going to make sure we cash this in on a championship for ourselves," Turner said to a loud ovation.
After trailing by 12 points with less than six minutes remaining - and looking all but out of it - the Rams struck for three touchdowns in the final five minutes to earn a huge 37-28 Region 3-2A victory over Marion County on Friday night at Bill Baxter Stadium.
The win snapped Marion's 12-game region winning streak and puts Tyner (3-2, 2-0) squarely in the driver's seat to claim the region title. The Warriors dropped to 2-3, 1-1.
"We showed a whole lot of heart and character to battle back like that," Turner said. "Our kids proved they won't quit, they won't give up and we'll fight until the end, and that's what I'm real proud of."
Tyner led for much of the first half, but Marion began its rally late in the third quarter, first by cashing in a fumble recovery for a 35-yard scoring drive that was capped by quarterback Isaiah Sampson's 1-yard keeper.
After the Rams regained the lead with a safety, Marion struck like lightning moments later with a 97-yard scoring sprint by Jacob Saylors. That was followed by a three-play touchdown drive highlighted by a 48-yard run from Brett Nelson and ended when Sampson pushed his way across the goal line on another 1-yard keeper.
That gave Marion a 28-16 lead, and after forcing Tyner to punt on its ensuing possession, it looked like the Warriors were wearing on their visitors.
But Jaylen Bowens intercepted a Sampson pass, and three plays later, Martavius Ryals hit Jeremiah Batiste on a short pass and the sophomore speedster turned it into a 56-yard score. Tyner then held Marion and took advantage of a shanked punt, needing just three plays to go 20 yards, with Bowens hitting Batiste on a 20-yard scoring strike to put Tyner back in front with 3:22 remaining.
All-state defensive lineman Tracey Justice then sacked Sampson for a 14-yard loss on fourth-and-15, and Tyner put the game away three plays later when Tyon Young scored on a 3-yard run.
Tyner outgained Marion 101 to minus-21 in total yards over the deciding final three possessions for each team and finished with 403 total yards. Marion gained 208 of its 340 total yards in the second half.
"Coach T just kept telling us to pick up the intensity and keep playing hard," said Bowens, who finished with 114 passing yards and a touchdown, 51 rushing and another score as well as an interception on defense. "It was tough when we got down, but we just kept playing hard every snap, trying to make something happen. We just kept playing ball right up until the end.
"This is a big confidence boost for us for the rest of the season. Now we just have to make it count and win out the rest of the way."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.