GATLINBURG, Tenn. — The agony of defeat began to sink in on a frigid night atop the Great Smoky Mountains as Tyner football coach Christian Mainor watched his players walk off the field Friday at Gatlinburg-Pittman High School.
Third-ranked Tyner’s 23-20 loss to the second-ranked Highlanders in a TSSAA Class 3A semifinal marked the end of an impressive season for the Rams.
While senior quarterback Tyler Anderson led a roaring comeback attempt in the fourth quarter on a night he had a game-high 117 rushing yards and all three of his team’s scores, Tyner’s attempt to get back home to Chattanooga for next week’s BlueCross Bowl state championship game at Finley Stadium fell just short.
Gatlinburg-Pittman (14-0) will take on top-ranked Westview (13-0), which beat fourth-ranked Covington 40-34 in Friday’s other semifinal, in the 3A title game at 11 a.m. next Friday.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night’s Chattanooga-area prep football playoffs)
“I hate this for our guys,” said Mainor, who wrapped up his third season as head coach. “It’s just frustrating because we felt like we were good enough to win that game. But hats off to Gatlinburg-Pittman. They played hard, and they were physical. I am proud of our guys for continuing to fight. We just couldn’t overcome our mistakes tonight and came up one stop short in the end.”
The Rams (12-2) lost fumbles twice in the opening quarter in positive situations, which included a 28-yard catch by sophomore Dion Edwards as he tried to fight for extra yards on the third play of the game, while Jamarion Dowdell lost a fumble at the Gatlinburg-Pittman 5-yard line late in the first quarter.
Anderson began his big outing as he found sophomore two-way playmaker D’Aerion McNeally for a 6-yard touchdown reception on fourth down to take a 7-6 lead with 49 seconds left in the first half.
Gatlinburg-Pittman answered back before the end of the first half, with the Highlanders kicking a field goal as time expired for a 9-7 lead heading to the locker room.
Brayden Maples returned the opening kickoff on a hop 80 yards for a Highlanders touchdown. Gatlinburg-Pittman then intercepted Tyner’s first possession of the second half and turned it into an impressive 22-yard catch-and-run touchdown by junior receiver Jackson Savarese. That made it 23-7 with just less than nine minutes left in the third quarter.
Tyner had a chance to answer Savarese’s score, but the Rams dropped a wide-open touchdown catch on fourth-and-goal from the 5.
Anderson jump-started the comeback with a 32-yard pass to Dowdell, who put on an impressive run after the catch down to the 4-yard line. Anderson found the end zone two plays later on the ground.
The Rams held tough on defense on the next series, nearly forcing an interception that would have been returned for a touchdown, and got the ball back for Anderson to rumble in from 13 yards out to cut the deficit to three with 4:46 left to play.
“Tyler came in and was able to help us really convert in the red zone,” Mainor said. “He gave us a chance at the end and provided us a big spark in the run game. I am proud of him and the career he had. I am sad to see him go. He is one of my favorites I coached. I coached him hard, and he took it. He is going to be one I am definitely going to miss.”
Tyner finished the defeat with 199 rushing yards and 177 through the air, which included 77 from Edwards, who had seven receptions. Dowdell finished with 64 yards on 10 touches, while Anderson had 98 rushing yards in the second half alone.
“This senior group had a bunch of great athletes and leaders,” Mainor said. “We are going to miss them a lot. I love every single one of them. They will always have a place in my heart and a place here as a Tyner Ram.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.