When Tyner’s early 14-point lead dwindled to one midway through the third quarter Friday night, there was a nervousness in the air among the home crowd as East Robertson looked to pull off a first-round upset in the Class 2A football playoffs.
The host Rams’ dynamic duo of Martavius Ryals and Jeremiah Batiste had other ideas, however, leading the way as their explosive offense rattled off 21 unanswered points over the next four minutes to put away a 35-13 victory and a spot in the second round.
Region 3 champion Tyner (10-1) will host Region 4 runner-up Trousdale County (8-3) next week. Tyner is trying to get back to the title game after losing 27-21 to Union City in last season’s 2A final.
Ryals accounted for all five of the Rams’ touchdowns – throwing for three and rushing for two – and Batiste had 192 yards on eight catches with two touchdowns and added an interception on defense.
“We have a tendency when we get a lead to relax instead of staying fired up like we need to,” Tyner coach Wayne Turner said. “We’ve got a lot of weapons offensively, and we did a better job in the third quarter of putting things together.”