It turned out to be a beautiful night for football Friday as Sweetwater hosted Tyner. Photo by Bryan Burchfield
Tyner Rams Hold Off Sweetwater Wildcats 21-16 in Region 3 AAA Clash
by AJ Hall and Bryan Burchfield
SWEETWATER, Tenn. – The Tyner Rams secured a 21-16 victory over the Sweetwater Wildcats in a tightly contested Region 3 AAA game Friday night.
Tyner struck first with a Gerard Allen 8-yard jet sweep touchdown, capping a 10-play, 84-yard drive. After the extra point, the Rams led 7-0 with 5:31 left in the first quarter.
Sweetwater struggled offensively in the early going but pinned Tyner back on a 44-yard punt by Teutimez. The Wildcats' defense responded, forcing a Tyner punt, which gave Sweetwater a short and set up a 30-yard field goal by Teutimez to trim the lead to 7-3 early in the second quarter.
Sweetwater’s special teams then surprised Tyner with an onside kick, recovered by Teutimez at the Rams' 49-yard line. However, the Wildcats couldn't capitalize. Later, Jeremiah Parris recovered a Tyner fumble, and Sweetwater took the lead on the next play when Parris caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Nolan Dacus. The Wildcats led 10-7 with 7:16 left in the half.
Tyner responded with a drive of their own, capped by a De’Aeron McNealy 10-yard touchdown run to regain the lead, 14-10, which was the halftime score.
Both teams struggled offensively in the third quarter, but Sweetwater’s defense forced two more fumbles. Landon Murphy recovered one and Lucas Rockholt recovered another at Tyner’s 18-yard line. After the Rockholt recovery, two plays later, Ty Fitch broke through for an 18-yard touchdown run. Despite the extra point being blocked, Sweetwater took a 16-14 lead late in the third.
Tyner answered again, going on a 65-yard drive that ended with McNealy’s second touchdown run, an 8-yarder, to give the Rams a 21-16 advantage with 10:21 remaining.
Sweetwater had opportunities to regain the lead, but Dacus was intercepted with 8:44 left, and their final possesion began at their own 44 yard line after a Bryson Bonnough blocked punt. However, the drive ended on downs with just over three minutes to play. Tyner (3-3, 2-1) ran out the clock to seal the win.
After the game, Sweetwater head coach praised his team’s effort and also emphasized the need for improved discipline. “I don’t believe in moral victories, but I told our guys in our post-game huddle that I was proud of them and that we made major steps toward what we are trying to do right now. All week our staff asked them to play hard, play physical, and play disciplined. I feel like we did two of those tonight almost as good as we can. We played hard and we played physical. We have to clean up the disciple part of it and we are going to get there. These guys are fighting every week,” he said.
Sweetwater (1-5, 0-2) will look to rebound as they host the Chattanooga Central Purple Pounders (2-4, 1-1) next Friday at King Berrong Stadium.
Tyner struck first with a Gerard Allen 8-yard jet sweep touchdown, capping a 10-play, 84-yard drive. After the extra point, the Rams led 7-0 with 5:31 left in the first quarter.
Sweetwater struggled offensively in the early going but pinned Tyner back on a 44-yard punt by Teutimez. The Wildcats' defense responded, forcing a Tyner punt, which gave Sweetwater a short and set up a 30-yard field goal by Teutimez to trim the lead to 7-3 early in the second quarter.
Sweetwater’s special teams then surprised Tyner with an onside kick, recovered by Teutimez at the Rams' 49-yard line. However, the Wildcats couldn't capitalize. Later, Jeremiah Parris recovered a Tyner fumble, and Sweetwater took the lead on the next play when Parris caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Nolan Dacus. The Wildcats led 10-7 with 7:16 left in the half.
Tyner responded with a drive of their own, capped by a De’Aeron McNealy 10-yard touchdown run to regain the lead, 14-10, which was the halftime score.
Both teams struggled offensively in the third quarter, but Sweetwater’s defense forced two more fumbles. Landon Murphy recovered one and Lucas Rockholt recovered another at Tyner’s 18-yard line. After the Rockholt recovery, two plays later, Ty Fitch broke through for an 18-yard touchdown run. Despite the extra point being blocked, Sweetwater took a 16-14 lead late in the third.
Tyner answered again, going on a 65-yard drive that ended with McNealy’s second touchdown run, an 8-yarder, to give the Rams a 21-16 advantage with 10:21 remaining.
Sweetwater had opportunities to regain the lead, but Dacus was intercepted with 8:44 left, and their final possesion began at their own 44 yard line after a Bryson Bonnough blocked punt. However, the drive ended on downs with just over three minutes to play. Tyner (3-3, 2-1) ran out the clock to seal the win.
After the game, Sweetwater head coach praised his team’s effort and also emphasized the need for improved discipline. “I don’t believe in moral victories, but I told our guys in our post-game huddle that I was proud of them and that we made major steps toward what we are trying to do right now. All week our staff asked them to play hard, play physical, and play disciplined. I feel like we did two of those tonight almost as good as we can. We played hard and we played physical. We have to clean up the disciple part of it and we are going to get there. These guys are fighting every week,” he said.
Sweetwater (1-5, 0-2) will look to rebound as they host the Chattanooga Central Purple Pounders (2-4, 1-1) next Friday at King Berrong Stadium.
Graphic by Josh Walker - Sweetwater High School
Scoring Summary:Final Score: Tyner 21, Sweetwater 16
- 1st Quarter
- 5:31 – Tyner: Gerard Allen 8-yard run (extra point good), Tyner 7-0
- 5:31 – Tyner: Gerard Allen 8-yard run (extra point good), Tyner 7-0
- 2nd Quarter
- 10:37 – Sweetwater: Bryce Teutimez 30-yard field goal, Tyner 7-3
- 7:16 – Sweetwater: Nolan Dacus 37-yard pass to Jeremiah Parris (extra point good), Sweetwater 10-7
- 3:54 – Tyner: De’Aeron McNealy 10-yard run (extra point good), Tyner 14-10
- 10:37 – Sweetwater: Bryce Teutimez 30-yard field goal, Tyner 7-3
- 3rd Quarter
- 0:16 – Sweetwater: Ty Fitch 18-yard run (extra point blocked), Sweetwater 16-14
- 0:16 – Sweetwater: Ty Fitch 18-yard run (extra point blocked), Sweetwater 16-14
- 4th Quarter
- 10:21 – Tyner: De’Aeron McNealy 8-yard run (extra point good), Tyner 21-16
- 10:21 – Tyner: De’Aeron McNealy 8-yard run (extra point good), Tyner 21-16
