After a slow first half for its offense Friday night, Tyner found its stride, starting with an electrifying kickoff return to open the third quarter against visiting Howard.
The big play on special teams sent the Rams on their way to a commanding 43-0 nonregion win as they opened the season with a victory for the fourth straight year.
In a first quarter marred by mistakes on both sides -- the teams combined for three turnovers and five penalties in the opening period -- the Rams capitalized on a Howard fumble for their first score as Josh Jackson tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jersey Chubb midway through the first quarter.
After both defensive fronts dominated for much of the rest of the first half, Jackson connected with Chubb on a 28-yard touchdown pass with 1:29 to go before halftime.
The Rams put the game away when Jarius Cameron brought the second-half kickoff back 85 yards for a score.
"That kickoff return really jump-started us and probably got them down a little bit," Tyner coach Scott Chandler said. "From that point, I think we kind of wore them down."
Jackson threw four touchdown passes, and Bishop Smith added a 50-yard scoring run.
"Howard is going to be tough," Chandler said. "They've got a really good defensive line who can put pressure on you and good skill guys, so this was a good win for us."
Silverdale Baptist 42, East Ridge 27: The Seahawks raced to a 35-7 first-half lead and cruised to the nonregion win as Brett Rogers totaled 295 yards and four touchdowns, including a 75-yard run.
Rogers, an all-state selection last year, threw for 183 with two touchdowns and ran for 112 on three carries, two of them scores. Caden Bancroft led Silverdale's defense with six solo tackles.
For the Pioneers, Jermaine Blackstock threw for 170 yards and two touchdowns -- both to Cadion Harris, who totaled four catches for 161 yards.
Central 35, Campbell County 21: Ronye' Watson ran for one touchdown and returned an interception for another score as the Purple Pounders forced four turnovers to win their season opener for the first time in four years. Marquise High also ran for a touchdown, Leundre Hinton and Kyree Steward had interceptions and Trevion Toney recovered a fumble.
South Pittsburg 35, Sequatchie County 6: The Pirates outgained the visiting Indians 382-143 in total yards, including 303 on 42 rushes, in a dominant win. South Pittsburg quarterback Kamden Wellington ran 16 times for 121 yards, including scores of 30 and 34 yards, and was 8-of-15 passing for 79 yards with a 12-yard touchdown to Nas Starkey.
Taja Robinson added 68 rushing yards, including a short touchdown, and Jayden Mount finished with 65. South Pittsburg's defense limited the Indians to 65 rushing yards on 28 attempts.
Bledsoe County 28, York Institute 14: Hunter Clark ran 19 times for 156 yards and two scores to lead the Warriors to the nonregion win. Bledsoe outrushed York 223-115 and scored all four of its touchdowns on the ground, with Sam Agee and Cayman Siever making short runs to the end zone.
Bledsoe's defense forced four turnovers and was led by Braiton Boring's six tackles (two for loss), two sacks and a fumble recovery. Nathan Sandell also had six tackles (two for loss), a sack and a fumble recovery, and Brady Reese and Eli Tabor had interceptions for the Warriors.
Marion County 36, Grundy County 0: Alex Condra ran for 146 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Warriors to the nonregion road win. Marion outrushed the Yellow Jackets 232-81 and held the hosts to 104 total yards.
Ty Johnson scored the first touchdown on an interception return, and Brennon Saylors booted a 39-yard field goal.
Whitwell 29, Cumberland County 17: A 13-0 third quarter helped lift the Tigers to the non-egion win as they rushed for 351 yards, led by quarterback Brandon Easterly's 239. Easterly scored three touchdowns, Chandler Britton added 83 rushing yards and a score, and Wesley Nunley led the Whitwell defense with 10 tackles, three assists and a tackle for loss.
McMinn County 50, McMinn Central 0: Cody Thompson ran 11 times for 82 yards to lead the Cherokees to the nonregion win over their county rival, Davion Evans added a 62-yard scoring run and quarterback Jayden Miller had two touchdown runs.
Walker Valley 29, Notre Dame 15: Eli Denton ran for 60 yards and a touchdown and also had seven tackles and returned an interception for a score. Brady Montgomery made five tackles and had an interception, while Tucker Ownby ran for a score and had an interception.
Loudon 30, Soddy-Daisy 13: Despite Slater Hickman throwing for 142 yards, the Trojans lost the nonregion road game. Loudon scored in all four quarters, pulling away with a 13-point fourth that included a 19-yard fumble return for a score.
Alcoa 38, Rhea County 21: Brennan Duggan returned the opening kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown to set the tone as the seven-time reigning TSSAA Class 3A state champions built a 38-0 halftime lead. Zach Lunsford was 6-of-7 passing for 119 yards with two touchdowns to lead the Tornadoes to victory.
Rhea County's Ace Robinson ran 10 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns, and Briley Mayberry added 94 yards on nine carries.
Lookout Valley 28, Mt. Juliet Christian 6: Devon Cooper returned an interception for a score, and Jaxon Quails added two rushing touchdowns to lead the Yellow Jackets to the nonregion win. Rylan Collins and Jackson Marsh also had interceptions, and Collins recovered a fumble as well.
Grace Academy 20, Chattanooga Prep 0: Clinging to a 6-0 lead in the fourth quarter, the Golden Eagles put the game away with two late touchdowns. Wesley Thompson ran for 131 yards, threw for 74 and accounted for all the game's points, rushing for two touchdowns and throwing for another.
Other area scores:
Baylor 38, Rabun Gap (Ga.) 21
Meigs County 23, Sweetwater 22
Boyd Buchanan 62, Greenback 0
Polk County 42, Copper Basin 6
Midway 22, Sale Creek 14
GEORGIA
Dalton 49, North Murray 27: Tyson Greenwade started his senior season on the right foot with 369 rushing yards and six touchdowns for the Catamounts. Among Greenwade's scores were runs of 48 and 60 yards. Luke Blanchard added a kickoff return for a touchdown, and the Dalton defense had three interceptions.
North Murray's Seth Griffin passed for 253 yards and two touchdowns and added a pair of scoring runs. Judson Petty caught 10 balls for 110 yards and two touchdowns, with Liam Rogers adding 77 yards on three catches.
Blessed Trinity 36, Calhoun 25: Trey Townsend, in his first start, passed for 200 yards and three touchdowns, one each to Caden Williams, Bryant Arnold and Justin Beasley, but the Yellow Jackets came up short in their opener. Williams had 90 yards rushing, with Beasley leading the receivers with 77 yards. Blessed Trinity's defense intercepted three passes, each leading to a touchdown, and added a safety in the matchup of former region rivals.
LaFayette 42, Chattooga 12: Sophomore Khalas Finley rushed for 257 yards and scored five touchdowns as the Ramblers defeated their rivals. Finley, splitting time at quarterback and running back, had scoring runs of 4, 8, 50, 54 and 17 yards. Zach Barrett added 53 yards and a touchdown for LaFayette.
Northwest Whitfield 46, Pepperell 17: Owen Brooker was 18-of-21 passing for 230 yards and three touchdowns while also adding a pair of scoring runs to pace the Bruins. Cayden Ramsey rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown, and Austin Cooley led Northwest with 93 receiving yards and a touchdown, with Akendris Douglas and Hudson Gray also making touchdown catches.
Coahulla Creek 49, Murray County 7: Senior quarterback Kace Kinnamon completed 16 of 17 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns while also adding 42 yards and a score on the ground for the Colts. Manny Dominquez had 58 yards and two rushing touchdowns, and Nathaniel Tilley added a 92-yard interception return.
North Cobb Christian 21, Christian Heritage 14: Jadin Coates scored on a 1-yard run with just less than three minutes to play to spoil the Lions' upset bid. Carter Triplett passed for 163 yards and two touchdowns, one each to Wyatt Brumlow and Sam Wooten, while Eli Thomason had 92 total yards in a losing cause.
Southeast Whitfield 14, Coosa 7: Brad Ensley rushed for 80 yards, Anthony Ramirez added 69 and the Southeast defense got a stop late to seal the nonregion win. Brett Cole and Roberto Rios had fumble recoveries, with Jesse Nava adding an interception for Southeast.
Other area scores:
Gilmer 32, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 13
Sonoraville 27, Pickens 15
Armuchee 10, Gordon Central 6
Compiled by Stephen Hargis and Lindsey Young. Contact them at sports@timesfreepress.com.