When Tyner's early 14-point lead dwindled to one midway through the third quarter Friday night, there was a nervousness in the air among the home crowd as East Robertson looked to pull off a first-round upset in the Class 2A football playoffs.
The host Rams' dynamic duo of Martavius Ryals and Jeremiah Batiste had other ideas, however, leading the way as their explosive offense rattled off 21 unanswered points over the next four minutes to put away a 35-13 victory and a spot in the second round.
Region 3 champion Tyner (10-1) will host Region 4 runner-up Trousdale County (8-3) next week. Tyner is trying to get back to the title game after losing 27-21 to Union City in last season's 2A final.
Ryals accounted for all five of the Rams' touchdowns - throwing for three and rushing for two - and Batiste had 192 yards on eight catches with two touchdowns and added an interception on defense.
"We have a tendency when we get a lead to relax instead of staying fired up like we need to," Tyner coach Wayne Turner said. "We've got a lot of weapons offensively, and we did a better job in the third quarter of putting things together."
Tyner dominated the opening quarter, scoring on its first two possessions on passes by Ryals - one to Batiste and the other to Zavier Favors. East Robertson (5-6) stymied the Rams with defense in the second quarter, however, and scored just before the end of the half to cut the lead to 14-7 heading into the locker room.
Receiving the second-half kickoff, the Indians marched down the field, eating up six minutes of game clock and scoring on a 25-yard run. A missed extra point helped the Rams maintain the lead, but their backs were now pressed firmly against the wall, and the offense needed to respond.
Respond they did, as Ryals hit Batiste for 32 yards and then took it in himself a few plays later from 14 yards out to put the Rams up by seven again.
"We have to learn how to play all four quarters," Batiste said. "We had to pick our pride up and keep on pushing through the whole game tonight."
Tyner's defense then forced a three-and-out series and picked off a pass on the Indians' next two possession, and each time the Rams' offense responded. Two quick scores were highlighted by big plays from Ryals to Batiste covering 40 and 54 yards, with the latter going for the game's final touchdown.
Contact Kevin Llewallyn at sports@timesfreepress.com.