In the closing seconds of Friday night’s game against Westmoreland, Tyner senior quarterback Josh Jackson ran toward the home crowd, pumping his arms up and down.
The fans responded with a roar akin to the Rams’ offense in the second half, when Jackson and a potent aerial attack caught fire, leading Tyner to a 42-17 win in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs.
After just missing several deep shots in the first half and with his team leading 7-3 going into the locker room, Jackson threw for 193 of his 309 passing yards over the final two quarters. After totaling 375 yards of offense last week, the Tennessee Titans Mr. Football semifinalist generated 333 yards and threw for four scores to advance Tyner (11-1) to the quarterfinals and a trip to East Robertson (11-1) next week.
“Coach was really on me at halftime because I didn’t play as best as I could in the first half,” said Jackson, who has 35 touchdowns this year with 3,016 total yards. “I had to get adjusted to the mud and calm down. I came back out locked in. One thing is for sure: I would take this receiving corps, this team and coaching staff over anything in the world.”
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night’s Chattanooga-area high school football games)
Tyner senior Trae Ruffin was unstoppable on both sides of the ball and put up a Randy-Moss like receiving stat line with three catches for 100 yards and scores covering 22, 30 and 48 yards. He also had three tackles for loss in the second half, which included two sacks in which he chased down the quarterback.
Ruffin’s speed after the catch was too much to handle as he scored his third touchdown to provide a 21-10 lead with 5:59 left in the third quarter.
“You have to stay humble and not get ahead of yourself,” said Ruffin, who has 26 catches for 738 yards and 11 scores this season. “You can’t take anyone for granted. We are going to play up to our competition and give them everything we’ve got every time we come out. I had the mentality we weren’t going to lose. It’s my last year, and I want to win state.”
Jackson showcased perfect touch on his fourth touchdown pass as he hit senior Jarius Cameron down the left sideline in between two defenders. Cameron made a cut and took off for a 78-yard score. He and Ruffin eclipsed 100 receiving yards for the second week in a row as Cameron finished with two grabs for 104 yards.
Cameron also had a powerful 16-yard touchdown run with 6:41 left in the fourth quarter, carrying multiple defenders on his back.
“We went through adversity tonight, but we faced it and pushed through,” Cameron said. “We have the best passing attack and receivers in the state. We are locked in and have so many weapons that can hurt you.”
Tyner senior defensive back Rayshaun Hinton was a star in the first half with six tackles, a tackle for loss and an interception backed against his own goal line. Senior running back Markel McKinley had a 36-yard touchdown run up the middle in the second half, and he finished with 105 yards on 14 carries.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.