Knox. West Wins State Title in Commanding Fashion

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2>The Rebels picked up their 2nd ever state championship after a dominating win over Page. It was tough early against the Patriots but eventually the power from out East took full command and the win.</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In what many thought would be one of the best games of the championship slate, Knox. West vs. Page turned out to be a blowout as the Rebels overwhlemed the Patriots, 47-13 to win and earn the 2022 Class 5A state title and come out of the season undefeated at 14-0. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Early on in this game, it was all about defense and punting the ball. On the first three possessions from both teams, Knox. West and Page were forced to punt each time, meaning both squads had to feel each other out early before offense's started to feel comfortable.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Neither team was able to move the ball on the ground, so they both went to the pass with Knox. West and throwing the ball resulted in the Rebels getting on the board first.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After opening up the offensive attack with the pass, Rebels senior running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='504199' first='Brayden' last='Latham'] </strong>was able to maneuver through the Page defense and find the end zone to push the Rebels on top, 6-0.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That lead didn't last too long as the Patriots marched right back down the field to take the lead at 7-6 after several strong passes and finished with a nice quarterback run by senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='305696' first='Colin' last='Hurd']</strong>. The fireworks would continue as Knox. West went back on offense and went back to work!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rebels immediately answered the Patriots' touchdown with their own after a nice pass from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='150307' first='Carson' last='Jessie'] </strong>to wideout <strong>Styxx Hoard </strong>and the junior raced down the sidelines to find paydirt. This game started to become a back and forth affair as Page scored on the very next possession after a long pass from Hurd to senior standout <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='215066' first='Max' last='Collins']</strong>, making the score 13-12. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/dcmWest/status/1598846025241833474?s=20u0026t=-G17_u0HQBrKXnq15u8n6A","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/dcmWest/status/1598846025241833474?s=20&amp;t=-G17_u0HQBrKXnq15u8n6A </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Things definitely started to pick up in this championship game and all was looking like it would be a close, back and forth contest between these schools the remainder of the way but the Rebels started to clamp things down and take command.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Knox. West would go to explode with points over the final seven minutes of the half, helped by Jessie and their passing game. A long pass and run down the sidelines from <strong>Ja'Quirrus Wrenn</strong> put the Rebels back on top but they would expand that lead even further after the second rushing touchdown of the night from Latham. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/dcmWest/status/1598858230427316225?s=20u0026t=-G17_u0HQBrKXnq15u8n6A","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/dcmWest/status/1598858230427316225?s=20&amp;t=-G17_u0HQBrKXnq15u8n6A </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rebels would go into the locker room leading, 26-13 and feeling quite confident about their chances headed into the second half. Not only was their running game starting to work but their passing attack was the best it's looked all season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Going into the second period, Knox. West had complete control of the game and the Patriots had to cut into that confidence to find victory but everything that started in the 2nd quarter, began to snowball against the Patriots the rest of the way.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the remainder of the game, it was all Knox. West. The Rebels offense continued to push the ball down field with their passing attack with Jessie, who threw two more touchdown passes to Latham and&nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='150532' first='R.J.' last='Brooks'] </strong>while their defense did not allow any traction from the Patriots offense.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Knox. West continued to pour on the points throughout the 4th quarter and extended their lead, pushing the game out of reach for Page. It was all but a foregone conclusion that the Rebels would win this game as the remaining minutes had to run before the Gold Ball was presented.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the clock ran to zero, Knox. West would end up as the Class 5A Champions after a dominating, 46-13 win over a good Page team and add their 2nd state title to the trophy case.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was an outstanding performance from a Rebels team that finished the season undefeated with wins over Alcoa, Maryville, Powell, Page and others along with going back home to Knoxville as champions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/dcmWest/status/1598871949937061889?s=20u0026t=-G17_u0HQBrKXnq15u8n6A","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/dcmWest/status/1598871949937061889?s=20&amp;t=-G17_u0HQBrKXnq15u8n6A </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player of the Game/MVP</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(QB) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='150307' first='Carson' last='Jessie'] </strong>- Knox. West</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Tonight was the best time for Jessie to play his best game of his career as he tossed the ball for 286 yards along with four touchdown passes while helping lead his Rebels team to a Class 5A state championship. Jessie was the perfect leader for the offense on this night as he was efficient, made the right reads and handled the pressure well from an active Page defense. MVP honors are well warranted for this senior signal caller!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other Top Performers&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- (RB) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='504199' first='Brayden' last='Latham'] </strong>- Knox. West: This Mr. Football finalist finished the night with just under 100 yards rushing but produced three big touchdowns on the night, including one in the second half that sealed the deal for the Rebels.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- ‘24 (OT/G) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='149171' first='Ronan' last='O'Connell'] </strong>- Page: O'Connell flashed several times on the night, especially in the 1st half where he produced two sacks while also creating pressure on several other occasions.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- (LB) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='102190' first='John' last='Carlevato'] </strong>- Knox. West: The Rebels senior linebacker was everywhere on the field for his defense, making plays from sideline to sideline while also putting a pass rush on the Patriots quarterback.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- (Ath) <strong>Ja'Quirrus Wrenn </strong>- Knox. West: Wrenn's gameplay was much needed in this championship game as his athleticism and speed showed up on multiple occasions, producing one touchdown reception on the night.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- ‘25 (LB) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219439' first='Eric' last='Hazzard'] </strong>- Page: Yet another big game where this sophomore edge rusher has produced at a high level. Hazzard had two big sacks in the 2nd half but was constantly in the backfield all night long causing havoc.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":524222,"width":419,"height":403,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/11/braylatham-1024x984.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-524222" width="419" height="403"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->