Page Defeats Centennial, Advances to State Title Game

<p>To continue my coverage of the TSSAA playoffs, I tuned into the Class 5A semifinals between rivals Centennial and Page. After the Patriots cruised to a 43-21 victory over the Cougars, here's my full game recap as well as my top performers.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Performers</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Making his presence known on the offensive end was [player_tooltip player_id='1178947' first='Cohen' last='Grissom'], an edge/linebacker at Page High School. Grissom was huge in the second half of play, making several huge runs, including one that resulted in a 44-yard touchdown. Grissom's size and explosive speed off the snap helped him to shake tackles, be durable on the run, and made him extremely difficult to contain.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Another playmaker to establish himself was [player_tooltip player_id='540028' first='Knight' last='Wilson'], a defensive back at Page High School. Wilson was productive on the offensive end, picking up a touchdown off a quick handoff in the first half. Wilson's athleticism and outstanding speed helped him to escape defenders from along the edge and blast into the endzone for the touchdown. Wilson should definitely be a problem in the state title game.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Also making a difference offensively was [player_tooltip player_id='853120' first='Cayden' last='Aukerman'], a wide receiver at Page High School. Aukerman was a gamechanger in the second half of the game, hauling in an impressive touchdown pass. Aukerman's size, speed, and explosiveness down the stretch make him a huge scoring threat and very difficult for defenses to lock down.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Making his presence known on the ground was [player_tooltip player_id='1532741' first='James' last='Pierre'], a running back at Page High School. Pierre was unstoppable off the handoff, making several impressive runs throughout the evening, including a 21-yard touchdown. Pierre's size and ability to juke out defenders in the pocket make him a huge asset to the Patriots' offense. Pierre is also really good at finding openings in the defensive line to break free into the backfield.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Also impressing me was [player_tooltip player_id='1640649' first='Malachi' last='Steele'], a defensive back at Centennial High School. Steele was a huge playmaker for the Cougars, scoring a crucial touchdown in the first quarter to give his team the early lead. Steele also made several big catches throughout the contest. Defensively, Steele stood out with his ability to lock down receivers in the backfield and shut down the short pass.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Another player to catch my attention was [player_tooltip player_id='1646108' first='Drew' last='Rempel'], an athlete at Page High School. Rempel made a difference in the second half, hauling in an impressive 73-yard touchdown. Rempel's explosiveness and ability to dodge and weave the defense makes him a huge offensive threat. I expect Rempel to be a big playmaker in the state championship game next week.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Game Recap</h2>   <p>Centennial would be picked off in Page territory on their first drive as Mitchell Grandjean's pass was intercepted by Colin Mulick. After the Cougars' defense stopped the Patriots on their first drive, Centennial's offense went to work as [player_tooltip player_id='1640649' first='Malachi' last='Steele'] punched into the house for the 12-yard touchdown. The Cougars took a 7-0 lead over Page with 3:02 left in the first quarter. The Patriots would tie things up 7-7 with 11:55 left in the second quarter as [player_tooltip player_id='693877' first='Cameron' last='Kruse'] handed it off to [player_tooltip player_id='540028' first='Knight' last='Wilson'], who would run in the 10-yard score. With 6:26 left to play before the half, the Patriots' defense forced an intentional grounding to pick up a safety. The Patriots would also go on to knock through a field goal as Page led Centennial 12-7 at halftime. Page would extend their lead with 8:33 left in the third quarter as Jonathon Baba kicked a 27-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 15-7 lead over the Cougars. Centennial would cut the Patriots' lead down to one point at the 4:27 mark of the third quarter as Grandjean connected with Gavin Johnson for the touchdown pass. Centennial trailed Page 15-14. The Patriots' offense responded as [player_tooltip player_id='1178947' first='Cohen' last='Grissom'] took it 44 yards to the house. Page extended their lead to 22-14 with 2:43 left in the third quarter. The Patriots were back on the scoreboard with 10:48 left in the contest as Kruse connected with [player_tooltip player_id='1646108' first='Drew' last='Rempel'] for the 73-yard touchdown. Kruse would also find [player_tooltip player_id='853120' first='Cayden' last='Aukerman'] for the touchdown with 6:37 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Patriots put the game away with 2:24 remaining in the contest as [player_tooltip player_id='1532741' first='James' last='Pierre'] ran in a 21-yard score. Page went on to defeat Centennial 43-21 and will head to Chattanooga to take on Sevier County in a rematch of last year's Class 5A championship game. The matchup is slated for Dec. 5th.</p>

To continue my coverage of the TSSAA playoffs, I tuned into the Class 5A semifinals between rivals Centennial and Page. After the Patriots cruised to a 43-21 victory over the Cougars, here's my full game recap as well as my top performers.