JASPER, Tenn. – It was an aggravated Tyner football team that stepped onto the field for Friday night’s Region 3-2A showdown at Marion County.
The fifth-ranked Rams were determined to redeem themselves after last week’s lethargic nonregion loss to Howard, needing three or fewer plays to score their first six touchdowns on the way to a resounding 48-0 win.
The win puts Tyner (3-1, 2-0) squarely in control of the region race as it looks to win its third consecutive league tiitle and earn home-field advantage for the first two rounds of the playoffs.
“Before we even watched the Howard film this week, I told our guys to just watch their body language,” Rams coach Wayne Turner said. “We looked like zombies walking around out there. I told them we won’t beat anybody playing with no enthusiasm or hustle, and that’s what I wanted to see tonight.
“I think our kids got the message. We looked a lot better from an effort and execution standpoint.”
Tyner RB Jeremiah Sawyer, who had 120 yards of offense and two TDs, in tonight’s big Region 3-2A win at Marion #bestofpreps pic.twitter.com/6wlvdeqgTH
— Stephen Hargis (@StephenHargis) September 21, 2019
In securing its 12th straight region win, Tyner outgained the Warriors 505-143 in total yards, rolling up 336 rushing and 180 passing.
Marion dropped to 1-4, 1-1.
On its third series, Tyner covered 45 yards in just three plays, with Jeremiah Sawyer scoring on a 12-yard run, and the Rams added to their lead midway through the second with another three-play drive, capped by a Rashun Evans 47-yard run.
Those turned out to be the longest scoring drives of the first half, in numbers of plays, as the Rams got their quick-strike passing game going for three more touchdowns in the final 4:37 of the second quarter. The scoring barrage began with a 70-yard hookup from Martavius Ryals to Jeremiah Batiste, followed by Ryals connecting with Sawyer on a 58-yard touchdown and then with a wide-open Kameron Dozier on a 41-yard pass on the final play of the half.
By halftime Tyner had a balanced 204 rushing yards and 180 passing on its way to a 35-0 lead. With a running clock in the second half, the Rams added short scoring runs by Ronald Neal and Kamden Edwards for the final margin.
“This week at practice was (rough),” said Jeremiah Sawyer, who finished with 120 total yards and two touchdowns. “We had to work hard and do a lot of things to be better and come back with a winning mindset. We came out with a lot more life tonight and got the job done.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.