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BY JESSE SMITHEY
CHATTANOOGA — Final seconds ticked down Friday night in the Class 5A BlueCross Bowl State Championship while the Page Patriots frantically tried to score the game-winning touchdown from within the Knoxville West 10-yard line. But the defending champion Rebels never lost their cool.
And when Page’s final play — a softly lofted jump-ball offering to 6-foot-3, 240-pound Mr. Football finalist Eric Hazzard — came in the direction of Syxx Hoard, the West defensive back stood tall.
All 5-7, 150 pounds of him.
Hoard soared up from behind Hazzard and knocked the ball away just before the Division I linebacker prospect could haul it in, and West survived the Patriots’ second half rally for a 24-19 win in Finley Stadium.
“I knew what was going to happen,” said Hoard. “They kept running it and running it. Then, I saw the look in (Hazzard’s) eyes, and I knew they were going to try me again.
“So I was like, ‘I have to make this play.'”
The West Rebels defeated the Page Patriots, 24-19, in the TSSAA Class 5A state championship at Finley Stadium on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, in Chattanooga, Tenn. (Photo by Danny Parker)
West (14-1) repeated as TSSAA state champion and denied Page (13-2) on the BlueCross Bowl stage for the second consecutive year. The Patriots have never won a state title and have finished runner-up in three consecutive seasons.
Page trailed 24-7 midway through the third but cut the lead down to five in the fourth.
West, though, came up with goal-line stands on Page’s final two possessions to preserve the win and became the first Knox County football program since Central (2018-2019) to repeat as state champions in football.
And Hoard — well, he was named the game’s MVP. Not just for his final pass breakup, but also for his three interceptions. They helped negate Page’s advantage in total yards, 369-183.
“I’m so proud of that kid. That kid is an unbelievable weapon for us,” West coach Lamar Brown said of Hoard. “If you look at our two Powell games, Syxx Hoard was the difference in that. Having him on offense and defense was huge in the quarterfinals (against Powell).
“He comes to work every day. Such an unbelievable young man. So humble. I’m happy he is MVP tonight.”
THE EBB & FLOW
West led at the half, 17-7, despite just 100 total yards on 32 plays through two quarters. The game was billed as a defensive battle, and that’s just what it was in the first half.
And West used its defense to manufacture points.
The Rebels got a touchdown thanks to a big defensive stop against a fourth-and-1 attempt by Page from its own 22 with 9:58 left in the half. The Rebels threw Page for a 1-yard loss on that fourth-down play, and the West offense marched the short field for a touchdown — capping it with a Marshaun Bowers TD run on fourth-and-inches at the goal line.
That knotted the game at 7-all and made Page pay for a head-scratcher of a decision on its fourth-down gamble.
“I was surprised (by Page’s call). The game was 7-0 (Page), and they had all the momentum,” Brown said. “After that, I think we scored 24 straight points. I thought it gave our kids a lot of energy and our offense went down there, stuck it in and tied the ballgame.
“We just took off from there.”
Hoard intercepted two Page passes in the first half, the second of which led to a go-ahead, 31-yard FG by Patrick Schmid with 2:45 remaining in the second quarter. Hoard also had a leaping interception in the first quarter that prevented a Page touchdown on its opening possession. Those two picks brought his season total up to six interceptions and gave West 22 total.
Perhaps the biggest play for West came from Antwain Burdine, the 5-9, 150 junior who wrestled a ball away from 6-2, 225-pound Page star linebacker Brenden Anes with 12 seconds left in the half. Anes — who holds recent offers from Tennessee, Wisconsin and Vanderbilt — had just intercepted a Hunter Dance pass and had it in mind to race the other way for a pick-6.
Before he could get away, Burdine got his hands on the football and ripped it right back for West.
Two plays later, Dance fired it deep for a 37-yard touchdown to Connor Cummings, who sailed above two Page defenders for the scoring catch and 10-point halftime lead.
“It was huge,” Brown said of Burdine’ play. “It was clearly intercepted, and Antwain just kept competing — ended up stripping it and getting the first down.”
SETTING THE STAGE
Dance found Cummings again for a 27-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-3 to cap a 10-play, 66-yard scoring drive to open the second half.
That made for 24 consecutive points scored by West for a 24-7 lead with 8:16 to go in the third. The offensive line and Bowers seasoned the drive, but Cummings’ ability to create a small window of separation near the end zone for the score was the final touch.
Page tried to test the deep waters on the following possession, and Hoard made them pay — again.
He intercepted his third pass of the night, and West regained possession at its own 8-yard line with 7:48 remaining in the quarter.
The Patriots finally rallied, though, and snapped West’s run of points. William Wiebush raced in untouched from 13 yards out at the 3:32 mark of the third. The PAT failed, though, and West’s lead was only trimmed to 24-13.
Page QB Jonathan Palmer hit Presley Cozart on a rollout throw across his body, and the 16-yard touchdown pass made West’s lead 24-19 with 9:22 to play. The Patriots’ two-point conversion failed.
Disaster struck for West roughly 30 seconds later, as Hazzard deflected a West pass on the Rebels’ ensuing possession, and Sean Cunningham of Page intercepted it.
That gave Page the ball at the West 20, and the Patriots ultimately reached the West 1. But on third-and-goal from the 1, West threw Page for a three-yard loss. And on fourth-and-4 with 6 minutes to go, Page went for a touchdown. West’s defense didn’t break, pressuring Palmer into a low-percentage throw into the back corner of the end zone that fell incomplete.
After West only managed to siphon 2:31 off the game clock, Page regained possession for one final drive from its own 48.
And that possession reached yielded a first-and-goal from the 3 with 46 seconds to go.
Caden Walker of Page ran for just 1 yard on first down. Stopped by Ryan Scott and An’terius McAllister.
Wiebush was stopped for a 3-yard loss on second down. Tackle by Scott and Jack Keith.
Page had no timeouts remaining. And the clock ran.
And Wiebush — who was a Wildcat formation QB — had to stay in the game in place of Palmer.
Hoard batted away Wiebush’s properly placed pass.
“I’m so proud of the kids. Offensively, we struggled at times but made plays when we needed to,” said Brown. “Defensively, second half, we couldn’t stop them.
“But what an effort on the two goal line stands. Unbelievable effort. Our kids just don’t back down. They’re going to play 48 minutes. And tonight, we needed every bit of it.”