ADDISON — Two-time defending state champion Tanner welcomed Addison back to Class 2A with a resounding statement in a battle of perennial state contenders Friday night.

The third-ranked Rattlers reeled off 20 second-quarter points on three consecutive possessions and rolled to an impressive 34-0 triumph over the No. 9 Bulldogs at A.G. Hicks Stadium.

Tanner quarterback Chadarius Townsend rushed for 159 yards and added 87 yards passing and a score, Lee Hibson finished with 111 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns, and the Rattlers (2-1, 1-0 Region 8) extended their region winning streak to 36 games, which dates all the way back to 2009.

“Tanner came up here and whipped our butt. We thought we were going to come in here and compete. We did for a quarter, but it takes four. We never could get anything going offensively,” Addison third-year coach David Smothers said. “I hoped playing Pickens County a couple of weeks ago would help us prepare for Tanner’s athleticism, but Tanner is much more physical up front on both sides of the ball. It is what it is. We’ve got things we’ve got to fix if we want to compete on this 2A level.”

Neither team managed much early on, combining for only 83 yards in the first quarter as they traded possessions five times.

Tanner broke though in a big way during the second quarter. Sophomore Jordan Lucas put the Rattlers on the scoreboard initially, rushing for a 40-yard touchdown with 9:48 left in the second. The extra point failed for a 6-0 lead.

It took the Rattlers only three plays to score on its next possession. On the second play, Townsend scooped up a botched snap and wheeled his way 54 yards, all the way down to the Addison 6-yard line. Hibson found the end zone two plays later, rolling in for a 3-yard score. An extra point made it 13-0 at the 4:04 mark in the second.

Lucas capped Tanner’s first-half scoring on the Rattlers’ next possession, rushing for a 28-yard touchdown.

Tanner put the game away on its opening possession of the second half. Chadarius Townsend connected with Jarmal Townsend for a 37-yard touchdown, extending the cushion to 27-0 with 8:20 remaining in the third.

Hibson scored Tanner’s final touchdown late in the third quarter with a 39-yard run.

Addison (1-2, 0-1 Region 8) drove into the Tanner red zone only once, but the Rattlers preserved the shutout early in the fourth quarter by batting away a fourth-down pass in the end zone from Addison quarterback John Everett.

Benjamin Robinson led Addison with 91 rushing yards on 12 carries. Senior Kyle Denson added 51 yards, and Everett finished with 66 total yards.

Levi Hammack and Jimmy Mac England had fumble recoveries for Addison.

Kameron Freeman had an interception for Tanner, which started region play with a shutout for the second straight season.

Addison, which has already played two defending state champions this season, travels to Falkville on Friday for another region bout.

“We’re going to have our work cut out for us again next week against Falkville,” Smothers said.