ELKMONT – Tanner showed its big play capabilities early Thursday night as Jarquise Peoples ran 72 yards for a touchdown on the Rattlers’ first offensive series.

Tanner never looked back as the Rattlers knocked off Elkmont 20-10 in the final game of the regular season.

“Tanner is the type of team who can hurt you quick,” Elkmont coach Chad McGehee said. “They showed that tonight by breaking a couple of big plays when we didn’t have some guys in the right the place.”

Elkmont got on the scoreboard late in the first quarter when the Red Devils pinned the Rattlers on their on one-yard line with a punt. On the next play, Peoples was tackled in the backfield for a safety.

Tanner struck back in the second quarter when Amos Draper picked up a fumble and carried it 24 yards for a touchdown.

“We didn’t play our best,” Tanner coach LaRon White said. “We had to many turnovers, but our defense played well enough to keep their offense from capitalizing on the them.”

The Rattlers got on the board again in the third quarter when Peoples scored on a 24-yard run. Adams made the extra point.

Elkmont scored it lone touchdown late in the third quarter when Lee Paterson capped off a long drive with a 3-yard run. Patterson got in the end zone again for the two-point conversion.

Tanner will host Westbrook Christian in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs, while Elkmont is done for the season.

With so many young players seeing a considerable amount of playing time this year, McGehee believes the future can be bright.

“We got a lot of kids involved this year, and that’s a good thing,” he said. “Now we need the players to commit to the offseason program and work on getting stronger. The offseason will tell how much we improve, but it’s up to the players to put the work in.”

White said Tanner’s focus is now turned toward making a run in the playoffs.

“It’s a new season now,” he said. “We’ll be playing against good competition every week. We have to take it one week at a time.”