Page defeats Kirkwood 24-7: Scouting the Standouts

<p>In a game that was expected to be one of the best TSSAA Second Round matchups, Page defended their home turf and defeated visiting Kirkwood 24-7 to move on to the next round of the bracket.</p>   <p>There were a variety of standouts as one could expect in a matchup featuring the amount of talent all over the field that this game boasted, and there were several players that really caught my attention, making it hard to trim down the list to cover in this article.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kirkwood 2027 Tight End [player_tooltip player_id='1316743' first='Parker' last='Keenan']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1316743' first='Parker' last='Keenan'] is a long athlete that is a natural mover and can be used as an effective weapon in the passing game in a variety of ways, making him an intriguing flex tight end option in the 2027 class.</p>   <p>There is still a lot of work to be done as a blocker but he showed flashes of being a competitive blocker with solid technique and filling out his frame should give him some more confidence to initiate the block as he continues to develop physically.</p>   <p>It is rare you find a well-built 6-foot-6 playmaker that moves like a natural receiver and that athleticism with the upside to be a total receiving mismatch should allow for him to see more and more college interest come his way. He just added an offer from Florida State.</p>   <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/1989509895729942958?s=20 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kirkwood 2026 Offensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='944767' first='Kamari' last='Blair']</h2>   <p>Senior offensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id='944767' first='Kamari' last='Blair'] has been a prime example of the developmental ability of the coaching staff at Kirkwood as he has come a long way from being just an athlete with great length and is expected to sign with Tennessee next month.</p>   <p>The good with him is a solid frame, great athleticism, and light feet. That gives him a very projectable skillset for the next level with a good coaching staff and is clearly one that the staff in Knoxville believes in. That athleticism and length showed up on defense even, finishing with a pair of pass deflections.</p>   <p>The improvement areas are really just about development at the end of the day. He needs to pack on weight to a slender build and clean up some things in his play like any prep offensive lineman. He can tend to lunge at times, which left him on the ground at times and he is too talented and athletic to have to be doing that.</p>   <p>The potential with Blair is exciting and it is easy to see why an SEC coaching staff found him attractive. As he sits and develops at Tennessee, they could have a very productive starter up front eventually, maybe akin to the career arc of Jesse Perry, but I think Blair has more nimble feet which could allow him to stick at tackle long-term.</p>   <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/1989520219354673323?s=20 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Page 2026 Receiver [player_tooltip player_id='853120' first='Cayden' last='Aukerman']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='853120' first='Cayden' last='Aukerman'] is developing into a 'my guy' for the 2026 recruiting cycle as I am a big fan of his skillset as a strong X receiver prospect that should be able to find the field early whether at Samford, where he is committed right now, or elsewhere depending on what direction his recruitment goes with a change of head coach in Homewood.</p>   <p>He has a long frame at 6-foot-3 with a sturdy build that makes him hard to move off his spot. He can get open in the short, intermediate, and down the field and can become a reliable target over the middle of the field at the next level.</p>   <p>He beat a defensive back vertical for a touchdown tonight and showcased his excellent blocking throughout the entirety of the game, not just being a competitive blocker, but sealing defenders off and racking up pancakes even. </p>   <p>Big, sturdy receivers that are natural movers usually develop into reliable outside receiver players at the next level, especially when they can block. That describes Aukerman quite well if I say so myself.</p>   <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/1989522331576741983?s=20 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Page 2026 Running Back [player_tooltip player_id='1532741' first='James' last='Pierre']/2028 Running Back [player_tooltip player_id='1571091' first='Isaac' last='Otey']</h2>   <p>Page has a strong rushing attack that thrives with two powerful runners behind a big offensive line, which sets up everything they want to accomplish on the offensive side of the ball.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1532741' first='James' last='Pierre'] is a bowling ball and bounces off would-be tacklers as he keeps working downfield, impossible to bring down, especially with his angry running style.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1571091' first='Isaac' last='Otey'] is the younger of the duo and he is just as effective with his stocky build that can sneakily get rolling downfield in a hurry, allowing him to kick some plays outside and work upfield, but lives as a menace between the tackles justl ike Pierre.</p>   <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/1989505806828528112?s=20 </div></figure>   <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/1989511102191763629?s=20 </div></figure>

In a game that was expected to be one of the best TSSAA Second Round matchups, Page defended their home turf and defeated visiting Kirkwood 24-7 to move on to the next round of the bracket.