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At this point in the year everyone knows about the Page defense.
The Patriots shut out Nolensville 42-0 Friday night to cap off a perfect regular season. It was their eighth shutout of the year as Page outscored its 10 regular season opponents 397-13.
Bully ball would be the appropriate way to describe how that unit plays week-to-week. It could also be the best way to describe how their offense has grown throughout the season.
For a unit that was the biggest question mark going into the 2024 season, the Patriots’ now have an offense they can rely on to finally get them over the state championship hump.
“We’ve seen a ton of growth out of the guys offensively,” Page coach Charles Rathbone said. “I’ve gotta brag on that offensive line for getting us through those first couple of games. They’re the consistent ones and remained consistent tonight.
…you see how we’re able to run the ball and control the line of scrimmage. Mitchell (Grandjean) does a great job running our offense, we have some guys on the outside who do a good job as well so I’m excited to see how they keep growing.”
Balance defines Patriots’ offensive attack
Rathbone has every right to brag about his offensive line.
His son Jacob anchors a unit that opens up holes at will. The addition of Centennial transfer Jordan Curll has only boasted the depth that the line already had going into the year.
Grandjean, a transfer from Mississippi, took over the starting quarterback role earlier in the year and the offense hasn’t missed a beat since then.
Behind him are two young running backs in freshman Isaac Otey and junior Colt Brown. Both are capable of busting one loose at any point.
They showed that Friday night against Nolensville.
Page scored a pair of touchdowns on its first three plays. Otey had two of those rushing touchdowns and Brown added his name to the list of touchdown scorers early in the second quarter.
“We have a great defense and when they get us good field position, our offense can go out and execute no matter what,” Grandjean said. “They put us in great positions but even in times when we’re backed up, I know that we have a great offense that can go down and immediately score.”
Defense still runs the show in Rudderville
Regardless of class, Page still sports one of the top three defensive units in the state.
Critics argue that their schedule may not be the hardest but you can’t argue results. Lawson became the first team to score on them a few weeks ago and Page won that game 49-6.
Centennial suffered the same fate last week. The Patriots took an early lead but Centennial scored early to get on the board. Page would go on to route the Cougars 49-7 in what was their most impressive result of the season.
People may be in awe of those numbers but if you ask any of the seniors on the defense, nothing about what they’ve done is surprising.
“This is what we expected to do,” Eric Hazzard said. “Losing three straight championship games weighs on me a lot and we’ve been building this since my freshman year. I know in my heart that we’re far from done and that this is just the start.
…Brenden (Anes) and I are going to keep leading this team and doing what we can to get to the top.”
Anes echoed Hazzard’s thoughts.
“You hear about the numbers but they really don’t mean much to me,” Anes, a new Tennessee commitment, said. “This team is really special and we’re doing something great right now. There’s no doubt in my mind we’re going to bring this place back a state championship.”
