Pardon Tyner’s Rams and head coach Wayne Turner if you catch them smiling a lot this fall.

Gone from Tyner’s path to the state championship game are both David Lipscomb and Goodpasture, who have yearly sent the Rams packing in the playoffs.

Lipscomb has moved up to Class 3A, while Goodpasture has been moved to Region 5, dropping them into the lower bracket of the Class 2A playoffs.

“It’s sure good to know we don’t have to play them back-to-back every year,’’ Turner said. “You have to play excellent both weeks to win. They are both physical teams, and it has been tough playing them back-to-back.

“We could get past one of them, get beat up and then lose to the other one the next week. But you really can’t look that far ahead. Alcoa will be there this year and they didn’t lose too many off that team.’’

The Rams are also smiling because they have been picked to win Region 3-2A and because three of their players have been selected preseason all-state by football guru Murphy Fair – Keelyn Craddock, Kevion Jones and Martez Mitchell.

“I think we’ve got a good shot to go a long way if we stay healthy,’’ Turner said. “We’ve got a lot more depth in a lot of places, and that will really help us.’’

Craddock, a 6-0, 190 senior, made the all-state team as a defensive back. He threw for more than 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns as a quarterback last year and rushed for more than 600 yards and three scores.

“I don’t think there is a better quarterback in the state,’’ Turner said. “Nobody throws much better. He’ll play defense, run back kicks and at quarterback he’s an all-around player who makes things happen.''

Jones, a 5-10, 185 senior, caught 26 passes for 824 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also made 46 tackles and intercepted three passes.

“He’s a playmaker because of his quickness, agility and great hands,’’ Turner said. “He does a great job on offense and defense.’’

Mitchell, a 6-1, 205 senior, is a noseguard/linebacker who made 102 tackles last year. He also caught 18 passes for almost 400 yards and scored five touchdowns as a wide receiver.

“Martez is an aggressive kid who loves contact and loves to hit,’’ Turner said. “He’s starting to come into his own. He’s got great size and good football knowledge.’’

Although they weren’t listed on the preseason all-state team, Turner has three more standouts in lineman Carl Taylor, a 6-2, 270 senior, Robert Thrasher, a 6-0, 190 junior lineman, and Greg Owens, a 5-11, 185 senior running back.

“Taylor is a heck of a lineman who can make things happen,’’ Turner said. “Thrasher has beefed up in the weight room and has great quickness and agility. Owens played safety last year, but he’s looking like an All-American running back right now. He’s looking great.’’

Tyner is picked to win the league ahead of Boyd-Buchanan, Marion County, Sequatchie County and Bledsoe County. Tyner doesn’t play Boyd-Buchanan until the last game of the regular season. The Bucs have one Class A state championship and two state runners-up finishes the last three years.

“We’ll just play one region game at a time and see where we go from there,’’ Turner said. “When we drew for the region games, it just worked out with us playing Boyd last. It should be a good money game for both of us.

“We both play tough schedules, so a lot depends on how healthy we come into the game. Both could come in pretty beat up.’’

Tyner 2005 Schedule

Aug. 25 (Thursday) At Walker Valley
Sept. 2 At Bledsoe County
Sept. 9 At Brainerd
Sept. 16 Marion County
Sept. 23 Fulton
Sept. 30 At Sequatchie County
Oct. 7 Howard
Oct. 14 At McCallie
Oct. 21 BGA
Oct. 28 Boyd-Buchanan

(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)