FRANKLIN – For the fourth consecutive season, the Page High School football team will celebrate Thanksgiving and prepare for the Class 5A state semifinals.
The unbeaten Patriots moved a win away from a fourth straight trip to Chattanooga and the championship game after dispatching Shelbyville Central 28-6 on Friday in Rudderville.
Veteran Page stars like Mr. Football semifinalists Eric Hazzard and Brenden Anes along with fellow senior William Wiebush enjoyed a final game on their home field, but were quick to look toward the next contest – a trip to Springfield after the upstart Yellow Jackets blasted Beech 47-14 in their quarterfinal.
“Job’s not finished yet,” said Wiebush, who ran in a crucial touchdown in the second quarter and essentially sealed the win with a scoring connection to Anes in the fourth. “We can be happy tonight for a bit, but we have to be ready for next week.”
“It’s back to business,” Anes added.
The Duke of Rudderville, Hazzard, starred in his 58th high school football game Friday. He and the Patriots are 51-7 in that span with just one home loss coming two seasons ago against Independence. Hazzard, who is headed to Louisville, said he and his team weren’t going to let up against the Golden Eagles.
They are all set on turning three silver balls into one gold.
“As seniors, we’ve been through it all so we know what to expect,” Hazzard said. “(Shelbyville) came in averaging a lot of points – 40-something, I think – so we just did what we do and dominated on defense.”
Despite another lopsided victory thanks to another dominant defensive showing, Shelbyville did manage to become the third team this season to score a touchdown against Page and amassed the most yards from scrimmage with 167. Little victories, but not the end result coach Jud Dryden was hoping for in his program’s fifth try at trying to advance out of the quarterfinals for the first time in school history.
“We did get to measure ourselves tonight and even though we came up short, we did some good things that can be worked on,” said Dryden, whose team will move into Class 6A’s Williamson County region next season. “It showed us what we need to be if we want to take that next step.
“Page is just really good.”
Shelbyville went 1-10 just two years ago but earned a shot at the Patriots after holding on for a 33-28 win over Nolensville last week. However, scoring just six points is the lowest output since that 2022 season.
The Golden Eagles touchdown came when brothers Stephen and William Bobo connected for a 36-yard strike with 6:41 to play courtesy of some trickery from Stephen under center when he faked a run and instead fired down field with a near jump pass.
Only 24 points have been scored against Page this season. Almost appearing angry at allowing the TD, Page blasted through the Shelbyville front and Knight Wilson blocked the PAT attempt. Despite recovering an onside kick, Shelbyville couldn’t muster another first down the rest of the way.
Wilson said Page aimed to limit the rushing attack all night and forcing the Golden Eagles into throwing the football. Shelbyville had racked up 465 yards rushing last week, but managed just 77 Friday.
“We wanted to dominate the line of scrimmage,” Wilson said. “We all take pride in just doing our jobs and playing together.
“Even if a team scores on us, we’re right back at it trying to be physical and control the game from start to finish.”
Despite a fast start that pushed the visitors backward thanks to a Hazzard sack and Anes batting down a pass on the first two plays, the two teams traded punts early.
Junior quarterback Mitchell Grandjean and Isaac Otey ran behind the physical Page front after taking over on a short field with 4:41 to play in the first frame. Anes ran in a 3-yard touchdown after Grandjean connected with McClean Copeland on a 15-yard gain on 4th-and-2 to open the scoring.
Wiebush knocked loose a Sehlbyville fumble after the ensuing kickoff and Colin Mulick recovered at the Shelbyville 46. Five plays later, Grandjean ran in an 8-yard touchdown and after Jonathan Baba’s PAT, the home team held a 14-0 lead at the start of the second quarter.
Scoring alert.
Mitchell Grandjean runs in an 8-yard touchdown for Page. Baba PAT good … 14-0 with 11:50 left in second quarter.
Page 14, Shelbyville 0.
The TD run —> pic.twitter.com/uhqzIQ0NRj
— Charles Pulliam (@cspulliam) November 23, 2024
The junior QB connected with Reese Lomenick for a 57-yard gain to set up first-and-goal before trotting in for the TD. Grandjean ended up exiting due to an undisclosed injury before the break. He finished 5-for-6 for 91 yards and also rushed for 27 yards.
Wiebush took over under center and actually provided one of the breakthrough plays of the game with 1:11 to play in the first half when he busted free for a 72-yard touchdown run. The senior was nearly tackled at the line of scrimmage, shed a couple tacklers near midfield and was home free for a decisive score before the half despite facing 3rd-and-16 from the 28.
“He’s a heckuva player and when you get him out in space like that, you’re not going to run him down,” Page coach Charles Rathbone said.
Wiebush agreed.
“Nobody’s going to catch me once I’m in the open field,” he said. “I just kept my legs turning, head down and broke free.”
The senior safety headed to Wake Forest said he was a bit cold taking over under center, evidenced by an interception and a couple mishandled handoffs, but still found a groove leading the offense with Grandjean sidelined.
“You have to play within the offense and it just helps so much to have the guys around me I have, from the offensive line to the receivers and backs – they know how to help me out and get the job done,” Wiebush said.
After forcing a punt late in the third, Hazzard got a hand on the ball just before Shelbyville punter Ben Betzelberger could get a kick off and Wilson recovered the fumble at the Golden Eagle 13.
Penalties pushed Page backward before Wiebush fired a 30-yard strike to Anes to kick off the fourth and open a 28-0 lead.
“You know, it’s the last time we ever get to play on this field, so it was good to go out with a bang like that,” Wiebush said.
“We checked to a wheel and William threw a great ball,” said Anes, a Tennessee commit. “It led me away from the defender and I was able to walk into the end zone.”
Wiebush paced a ground game that collected 196 yards. Colt Brown and Isaac Otey combined for more than 90 yards rushing as Page featured seven different ball carriers.
Wilson, Austin Merlin and Sean Cunningham joined Hazzard and Anes as leading tacklers.
Bobo, the sophomore QB, went 0-for-7 in the first half as Shelbyville managed just 43 yards. He was 7 of 9 in the second half for 91 yards and the strike to his brother. Bruising back Robert Bailey, who racked up more than 330 yards on the ground last week, was limited to 49 yards Friday.
Page will begin preparation for next week’s semifinal, and Rathbone said practicing over the Thanksgiving break is a “true blessing.”
“We’re looking forward to that Thanksgiving breakfast,” he said. “It’s fun getting up at 6:15, 6:30 and practicing and enjoying breakfast with these guys.
“You really can’t beat it.”
In other playoff action besides Springfield’s surprising, yet dominant win, Sevier County knocked out two-time defending champion Knoxville West 24-17 and Oak Ridge rolled past East Hamilton 30-6.
The Wildcats, seeking a return to the finals for the first time since 2020, will host Sevier County in the other semifinal next week. The Smoky Bears last played for a title in 2015, falling to then Class 5A local champion Independence.
Springfield sits at 8-5 overall with every loss decided by a touchdown or less. The Yellow Jackets opened by holding on for road wins at Munford and Henry County before toppling Beech to reach their first semifinal since 2019.
Shelbyville at Page …
Final home game for these Patriot seniors in this Class 5A state quarterfinal … career game No. 58 (fifty-eight!!) for Mr. Eric Hazzard of PHS —> pic.twitter.com/Ok9TtLtrb5
— Charles Pulliam (@cspulliam) November 23, 2024
“Being one of four teams alive, it’s special, but we know you can’t take that for granted,” Hazzard said. “We have to dominate Friday. We have to.”
Page 28, Shelbyville Central 6, Class 5A Quarterfinal
SCHS 0 0 0 6 – 6
PHS 7 14 0 7 – 28
Scoring Summary
1Q 1:21 P – Brenden Anes 3 run (Jonathan Baba kick);
2Q 11:50 P – Mitchell Grandjean 8 run (Baba kick);
2Q 1:11 P – William Wiebush 72 run (Baba kick);
4Q 10:20 P – Anes 30 pass from Wiebush (Baba kick);
4Q 6:41 S – William Bobo 36 pass from Stephen Bobo (Kick blocked).
