Page Football Run of Linebackers Just Getting Started

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Friday night, I made the trip to Franklin to watch Page host Kirkwood in a second round playoff game that consisted of a large number of college prospects and exciting playmakers, making it one of the top matchups of the week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When looking at Tennessee offensive tackle commit [player_tooltip player_id='944767' first='Kamari' last='Blair'] and junior tight end [player_tooltip player_id='1316743' first='Parker' last='Keenan'], who just added an offer from Florida State, this was most likely going to be their biggest challenge of the season, so it made a lot of sense to cover that game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I had my own expectations of what this Page defense could look like especially in the middle of the field, but the linebackers impressed even more than I was expecting and they have not taken a step back this season after losing Eric Hazzard (Louisville) and Brenden Anes (Tennessee).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Veteran Leader</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1717949' first='Sean' last='Cunningham'] has manned the middle linebacker position for the past couple of seasons and that has not changed this season as he is a tackling machine. While he lacks some size, he flies around the field and hits hard, making an effective leader at the second level for a lockdown Patriots defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He gets a ferocious front seven set and they are able to bring pressure and cause havoc from every possible direction imaginable. With a secondary behind them consisting of talented defensive backs that are big and physical, the box defenders can pin their ears back and harass backfields.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/1989521471979352465?s=20","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/shaynep_media/status/1989521471979352465?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Outside Linebackers Generate Pressure</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Page has always let their outside linebackers set a firm edge and generate pressure on the pocket and use their size plus athletic ability to make big-time splash plays behind the line of scrimmage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you notice in the [player_tooltip player_id='1717949' first='Sean' last='Cunningham'] sack linked above, the quarterback was pressured by Air Force commit [player_tooltip player_id='1178947' first='Cohen' last='Grissom'] (20) and was forced to roam outside the pocket, allowing the middle linebacker to light him up. Since transferring in to Page this offseason, Grissom has taken an even bigger step forward in his senior season and that was reflected with his recent commitment to Air Force leading up to the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are a variety of linebackers that can generate pressure and that includes junior Liam Perry, who is built similarly to Grissom and has similar results in terms of generating pressure in the backfield.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/CohenGrissom25/status/1989005121632547298?s=20","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/CohenGrissom25/status/1989005121632547298?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Next Man Up</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I left out one outside linebacker out of the list from the section above, but that was to put an individual spotlight on this specific breakout candidate for the 2026 high school football season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1801346' first='Taylen' last='Cisneros'] was put on my radar by my colleague Conner Smith, and man he did not disappoint, earning 1.5 sacks that took away large chunks of yards. The first one nearly resulted in a safety, and his half sack caused a 3rd and 20, showcasing his ability to win in pursuit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He can play both the inside and outside linebacker positions and he gets more explosive by the week to complement his strong 6-foot-2 frame. He is listed at 205 pounds, but certainly looks bigger than that in-person now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whether he is playing inside, outside, or both, he will be a linebacker that the state should become well aware of next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/connersmith04/status/1989513338716655975?s=20","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/connersmith04/status/1989513338716655975?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->