C.J. Yarbrough is no stranger to Friday night pressure. But starting at quarterback is a new kind of pressure he hadn’t experienced before. And after a shaky start, Yarbrough overcame those nerves to lead Tanner to a 32-20 win over West Limestone.

Yarbrough, starting his first game at quarterback after playing wide receiver last season, ran for one touchdown and threw for two more as the Rattlers overcame a 13-6 halftime deficit to avenge last season’s loss to the Wildcats.

“Things are all new for me this year with playing quarterback,” Yarbrough said. “But Coach (Maurice) Belser has helped me a lot and I have gotten a lot more comfortable in the position.”

Yarbrough showed his athletic ability late in the first quarter when he broke loose for a 51-yard touchdown run to give Tanner an early 6-0 lead. But with West Limestone’s defense selling out to stop the run, his passing left much to be desired.

Yarbrough looked uncomfortable sitting in the pocket and going through his progressions, and would scramble at the first sign of trouble.

With the Tanner offense out of synch, West took advantage with two second-quarter touchdowns. Jeramiah Simmons tied the game with a 1-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. After an exchange of punts, the Wildcats took a 13-6 lead with 2:19 left in the first half on a 16-yard touchdown by quarterback Graham Pepper.

While West Limestone looked to have the momentum going into the locker room, it only took one big play from the arm of Yarbrough to tilt the game in Tanner’s direction.

Facing a third and six from its own 18-yard line on Tanner’s first possession of the third quarter, Yarbrough rolled right and pump-faked before delivering a strike to Vincent Green over the middle. Green simply sprinted away from the defense and went all the way for an 82-yard touchdown. Even though West still led the game after the two-point conversion attempt failed, the momentum was with Tanner.

Tanner would get the lead on its next possession, as the Rattlers went on a 69-yard drive that mostly featured the running of Kristan Lampkin. However, the drive ended in a familiar way, as the Rattlers scored on the exact same pass play which delivered them the previous touchdown, as Yarbrough rolled right and threw back across the middle to Green, who bulled his way into the end zone from 22 yards out with 14 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

The Tanner defense got in on the scoring act just two plays later, as Jaleel Thatch scooped up a Wildcat fumble and sprinted 47 yards into the end zone to give the Rattlers a 26-13 lead early in the fourth.

West Limestone answered on its next drive, as Pepper capped the drive by throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to Micah Beddingfield.

However, Tanner put the game on ice with its next drive, as the Rattlers drove 80 yards and took nearly seven minutes off the clock, scoring a touchdown on a 6-yard run by Zakobe Shoulders with 1:51 left.

It was a fitting conclusion to the game, as the Tanner offensive line spent the second half opening up holes for Lampkin, Yarbrough and Shoulders to run through.

“We want to play strong defense and run the ball well with our running backs,” Belser said. “That’s what we expect to do and we did that tonight.”

The Rattlers also got some help from its quarterback, who made the throws he needed to make to lead the offense back in the second half.

“Every pass I throw I rely on my receivers a lot,” Yarbrough said. “I trust them and they trust me. I got more comfortable as the game went on. My (offensive) line was telling me not to worry, they would give me time to throw the ball.”

Belser also had praise for his quarterback, especially the way he improved as the game went on.

“He’s a guy who works his tail off,” Belser said. “He wasn’t trusting himself in the first half. But once he got on the right page he got after it.”