Tyner favored to win a third straight 3-2A title

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Tyner football

Editor's note: This is the second in a series of prep football region previews involving area teams. Coming Friday are 3-3A and 4-3A.

It says something about the level of expectations at a football program when a 10-win, region-championship season can be looked at as a disappointment. But that's the case with Tyner, where in his 27 years as coach Wayne Turner has built a standard that demands more than just regular-season success.

The Rams reeled off 10 straight wins last season - by an average margin of 40-12 - before falling flat in a lopsided loss to eventual state runner-up Trousdale County in the second round of the state playoffs.

"I kept telling the kids all year that we weren't consistent enough," Turner said. "We were winning but we were too up and down, and I kept telling them there was a storm coming, and that's what happened. That storm was Trousdale, and they turned into a hurricane against us.

"We were all surprised with the way Trousdale handled us, but I think the kids learned something. They didn't like that feeling, and I think they'll listen to their coaches more about the things we've got to get better at."

There is an impressive amount of talent, especially among the skill-position players, on both sides of the ball. The Rams will have no shortage of playmakers, making them the favorites to claim a third straight Region 3-2A title.

The returning combination of dual-threat quarterback Martavious Ryals and all-state receiver Jeremiah Batiste is a big reason for so much optimism. Batiste, a Mr. Football finalist and Miami (Ohio) commitment, led the area in receiving yards last season.

The backfield of Ronald Neal (5-11, 175), Kamden Edwards (5-10, 210), Jeremiah Sawyer (6-0, 195) and Anthony Bell (6-1, 220) gives Tyner a deep and enviable group of physical playmakers, and each of those athletes will play some on defense as well.

Sawyer is a junior who has waited his turn at both running back and linebacker and is now ready to become a key contributor.

"He plays with a vengeance," Turner said of Sawyer. "He's a powerful runner who'll come right at you and try to run you over and is just as rough on defense."

The biggest personnel question is up front, where only two starters - Keshawn Brown and Jailin Worthy - are back. Just how far this version of the Ram Train travels in the postseason likely will depend on how quickly the young offensive line develops, and how well the team manages a brutal nonregion schedule that includes road trips to perennial power Alcoa and local rivals Brainerd and Howard (both playoff teams last year) and a home game against a much improved Baylor team.

The combination of injuries, a rugged schedule (four opponents that reached at least the quarterfinals) and some bad luck left Marion County with an atypically disappointing season last year. The Warriors will lean heavily on the offensive line - led by Jackson Anthony (5-11, 250), Drake Cardin (6-1, 210) and Kris Layfield (6-2, 230) - as they try to rebound. The Warriors, just two years removed from a third straight league title, also have enough speed in the backfield to be a threat for the top spot in the region.

Junior Anthony Guevara takes over at quarterback, replacing a three-year starter, and sophomore Taye Hutchins - the son of Jonathan Hutchins, a former all-star at North Jackson - has loads of big-play potential. Alex Nunez is Marion's most proven ball carrier and brings a toughness to help lead an otherwise inexperienced backfield.

"We've had some guys who really put in time in the weightroom, and that's helped not only with our strength up front, but we've gotten quicker because of it, too," Warriors coach Joey Mathis said. "The biggest things for us, besides staying healthy like everybody else wants to, is to just keep working to make progress every week and learn from our mistakes.

"We've got enough young guys who will have to play that we know they're going to make some mistakes, but so long as they learn from them and correct them, the talent is there."

The biggest change within the region came at Polk County, where Derrick Davis stepped away from his alma mater after 19 seasons and is now the head coach at McMinn Central. Longtime Wildcats assistant Rusty Brewer has taken over at Polk and has six starters back on both sides of the ball from last year's six-win playoff team.

Polk must replace an all-state offensive lineman, a 1,000-yard rusher and its top three running backs from last year. The defense, which held five opponents to seven points or less, was also hit hard by graduation at key positions.

Bledsoe County also made a coaching change, naming Dewayne Tabor, who will also call the offense. The Warriors bring back six starters on both sides of the ball from last year's three-win playoff team. Tellico Plains has won more than three games only once (a four-win season in 2015) in the last five years.

Meigs County is the only Chattanooga-area team that competes in Region 2-2A - which also includes Cumberland Gap, Oneida, Rockwood and Wartburg - and the Tigers are again the league favorites there.

Meigs, which has reached the state's No. 1 ranking each of the last two regular seasons, brings back 14 total starters from last year's semifinal team, which lost by three at Trousdale County. That includes Mr. Football award winner Aaron Swafford, a Naval Academy commitment, at quarterback. Swafford is a four-year starter at the position with a 35-4 career record and accounted for more than 2,800 total yards last season.

The Tigers must replace three starters on the offensive line and develop depth there from among a young group of up-and-comers. Will Meadows missed much of last season because of injuries but is now healthy and ready to go. He should give the offense a boost out of the backfield.

"I think what we've learned over the last couple of years is that we're capable of playing with the best teams in the state," Tigers coach Jason Fitzgerald said. "It's been so long since Meigs County had done that, but now the kids believe they belong."

Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.