Of all the eye-catching numbers Tyner Academy's football team has put up this season, the most impressive is the smallest.
For the fifth time in eight games, a brightly lit zero flashed on the opponents' side of the scoreboard after the Rams took apart a solid Meigs County team 26-0 Friday night to secure the Region 3-2A championship.
"Oh my gosh, our defense!" gushed Rams senior quarterback Josh Jackson, who was once again spectacular in completing 19 of 26 attempts for 210 yards and four touchdowns. "Our starters have only given up one touchdown all season, so how can you not love what those boys are doing?
"They make our job a lot easier because we know any points we score, that's going to put us in good shape to win."
In its first game since taking over as the state's top-ranked 2A team, Tyner (8-0, 4-0) scored on three of its four first-half possessions while building a commanding 19-0 lead by halftime.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night's Chattanooga-area high school football games)
Noted all season for being a quick-strike offense, Tyner proved it can also sustain long drives against a disciplined defense as the Rams covered 69 yards in nine plays on their first possession, then followed with scoring drives that went 65 yards in six plays and 94 yards in 12 plays before finishing with a rapid-paced four-play, 55-yard drive to begin the third quarter.
Jackson had scoring passes of 29, 39 and 6 yards in the first half, then opened the second with a 33-yard touchdown toss before the offense put it on cruise control the rest of the way. Those four scores went to Marcus Lewis, Josiah Bridgeman, Trae Ruffin and Jarius Cameron as Jackson connected with eight receivers in all.
"They've got weapons all over the field, and (Jackson) knows how to find them," Meigs County coach Jason Fitzgerald said. "They're a team with no weaknesses. Anytime we felt like we would get something going, they would hit us in the backfield for a loss and put us behind the chains.
"They're just a really solid football team."
Tyner has now beaten its opponents by a combined score of 307-20, with only Bledsoe County managing to score on the starting defensive unit. The win also snapped Meigs County's run of region titles at five, including the 3-2A crown last year in their first season after moving into the league.
The Tigers (6-3, 2-2) had won 26 of their past 28 region games — including by one point over Tyner last year — and had averaged 34 points while winning their previous five games coming into Friday's matchup. However, Tyner outgained Meigs County 351-128, allowing just 3.1 yards per play, holding the Tigers to gains of 2 or fewer yards on 22 of 42 snaps and forcing two turnovers.
"Our defensive front is probably the area where we're most improved since last season," Rams second-year coach Scott Chandler said. "They're a very physical team, so to match that, knowing that they wanted to run it right at us, says a lot about our kids up front.
"Offensively, we've got a lot of guys who can make plays for us, and it starts with Josh. He makes good decisions and makes us go on that side. Winning the region is obviously a big deal. It gives us home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and we haven't lost here at home since I've been the coach."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.