Tanner was a program in transition when Oscar Bonds took over as head coach before the 2018 season.

In terms of the Class 2A, Region 8 hierarchy as of Friday night, though, Tanner is back to being a program on top.

A host of Rattlers contributed as Tanner thumped Red Bay 46-14 to complete an unbeaten run through region play this fall.

It’s Tanner’s first region title since 2016.

The Rattlers (7-2, 6-0) have won seven games in a row and will be a No. 1 seed in the playoffs after closing the regular season next week against Booneville (Miss.).

The current seniors were seventh-graders when Bonds took over and Tanner began developing its middle school football program.

“I told them they would be the group that would really get us going,” Bonds said.

Endymion Tyus, Karl Parham, Skylar Townsend, Kian Jackson and Tailan Hall all had touchdowns for Tanner, whose closest win in the ongoing seven-game win streak was 21-3 over Class 6A Columbia.

Townsend’s approximately 50-yard catch, Jackson’s 40-yard run and Hall’s 55-yard screen pass reception were among the highlights of Friday’s win.

Red Bay fell to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the region.

Even Tanner’s two early losses weren’t bad – the Rattlers lost by six points each to Lauderdale County, an unbeaten Class 3A team, and Mae Jemison, a Class 6A team.

“I think we started playing more disciplined football on both sides and we’ve been able to run the ball well the last few weeks,” Bonds said.

Tre’jaun Lett also recovered a fumble for Tanner, which has forced frequent turnovers this season. Bonds said his defensive linemen and linebackers are hard to block, and the secondary has also gotten much better.

“That is one of the biggest things we needed to improve on, and we did,” Bonds said.

The coach also said there were some “dark days” early in his tenure when Tanner went 1-9 two years in a row.

Since then, though, the former powerhouse has become competitive once again.

“We just watched things slowly and surely build,” Bonds said.