Ryals-led Rams romp past Polk County 35-7
BENTON, Tenn. — It’s taken Martavius Ryals less than three games to get comfortable in his new role for the Tyner football team.
The 6-foot, 185-pound junior looked more like a silky-smooth veteran than a first-year starter in leading the Rams to a 35-7 Region 3-2A win over Polk County at the Larry G. Davis Football Complex on Friday night.
Ryals finished with 238 of Tyner’s 396 total yards — seven carries for
94 and throwing for all 144 and two touchdowns in a first half highlighted by big plays.
“We’ve got a lot of weapons on both sides of the ball, but Martavius has a good arm, he’s sneaky fast and as elusive as a ghost,” Rams coach Wayne Turner said. “He’s doing a tremendous job leading our offense and really starting to show what he’s capable of.
“The big plays really got us going in the first half.”
Tyner (2-1, 1-0) averaged 65 yards on four of its five touchdowns, taking a 21-0 halftime lead thanks to Ryals’ rocket right arm and his elusiveness.
After being held on downs in Polk County territory on their first possession, the Rams lit up the scoreboard with an 85-yard touchdown pass from Ryals to Jeremiah Batiste on third down — the first points allowed by the Wildcats in three games.
Tyner extended its lead midway through the second quarter when Ryals scrambled away from two defenders in the backfield, then weaved his way through the Wildcats defense before breaking free for a 71-yard scoring sprint.
Polk County drove into Tyner territory four times in the first half but came away empty on each possession, including two costly turnovers.
“There were a handful of plays on both sides that really cost us,” Wildcats coach Derrick Davis said. “The turnovers really hurt, and there were a couple of times on defense where I thought we had them but their kids just made some huge plays.
“They’re a good team that came in here and just whipped our butts.”
After the Wildcats’ second turnover, Ryals capped his impressive first half with a 24-yard TD toss to Marcus Gladden with just 10 seconds left before the break.
“Those big plays give us a lot of juice as a team,” Ryals said. “On that long run, I just tried to get away from a couple of guys to see if I could find a receiver downfield. Once I saw they were covered, I took off and got a great block from Jeremiah.”
Polk County (2-1, 0-1) turned an interception into a short TD run by Hunter Morgan, but the Rams responded with a 79-yard scoring sprint by Jevon Anderson to put the game away.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.
“We’ve got a lot of weapons on both sides of the ball, but Martavius has a good arm, he’s sneaky fast and as elusive as a ghost.”
– RAMS COACH WAYNE TURNER