With 2.3 seconds left to play Thursday night, Central High School’s defense stepped up at home and stopped Tyner.
With just 8 yards separating the visiting Rams from a miraculous victory after they trailed 26-7 with five-plus minutes in the game, their bid for the epic comeback was denied as Purple Pounders senior star Ronye Watson intercepted a jump ball at the 1-yard line, sealing Central’s 26-23 victory in the TSSAA Region 3-3A opener for both teams.
Watson, a Times Free Press Dynamite Dozen selection as one of the area’s top college prospects, had 110 yards on 12 touches and a touchdown, a 40-yard kickoff return, three pass breakups and his game-ending interception on the same night he was named homecoming king.
“I have been here since 2005 at Central, and the last time we beat them was 2014,” Purple Pounders interim head coach Glen Carter said. “Before that it was 1993. Tyner is tough every time we play them. A win like this should give us confidence and pep to get up for every game from here on out. Our guys hung on to the very end, and they had my back and each others’ as well.”
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Thursday night’s Chattanooga-area prep football games)
Central, now 2-2 overall, received big plays from its defense, which included a 48-yard fumble return for a touchdown by senior Daniel Bell to make it 26-7 with 2:51 left in the third quarter. His brother MJ Bell led the team in tackles with 11 and also had a fumble recovery, while defensive end Zachariah Myree had a big performance with key pressures and batted-down passes. Amarion Jenkins and Tank Stewart also came away with big plays on that side of the ball in key moments late in the game.
“If you look up the definition of adversity, it would read: Pounders,” Carter told his team. “You guys have gone through adversity and overcame it. This is why we talk about sticking together as a team a lot. Tonight is proof.”
Watson started the scoring on Central’s first possession with a 31-yard touchdown run, juking a pair of defenders before leaping away from another would-be tackler to speed down the home sideline and into the end zone.
Senior receiver Houston Boykin made it 13-0 with 6:49 left in the second quarter on his 59-yard hookup with quarterback Caden Jones on a go route down the left seam.
“We came into region play with a chip on our shoulder after we just missed out on the playoffs last season,” Boykin said. “We are trying to prove something, and tonight we did exactly that.”
Tyner (1-3) answered with a 79-yard kickoff return by freshman De’aerion McNealy to set up a short rushing score by Lecarrus Moten. However, Watson ended the first half with an impressive timed pass breakup in the front of the end zone to allow Central to take its 13-7 lead into the break.
The Purple Pounders’ final offensive score came on a beautiful 23-yard touchdown catch in traffic by junior Joe Jefferson, making it 20-7 with 5:37 left in the third quarter.
Tyner had plenty of fight left late as junior quarterback Tyler Anderson rushed for more than 150 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown that was followed by a 2-point conversion to make it 26-15 with 4:47 to play. A 4-yard touchdown run by McNealy and another 2-point conversion provided the final score with 1:56 remaining.
Tyner was gifted another opportunity as Martez Mitchell intercepted a Central pass with 1:40 left to play, but Watson shut down the final play.
“All the glory to God,” Watson said. “We have to stay humble and continue to work.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.