In 2015, the Page Patriots lost the Region 4-4A title to Marshall County in the last week of the regular season and then were ousted from the state playoffs in the first round.
The Patriots (7-3), who lost last week to Marshall County and entered the postseason as a two-seed for the second straight season, didn’t let history repeat itself against Chattanooga Central (3-8) Friday. They cruised into the second round with a 34-7 win.
Page jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. It widened a 20-7 halftime lead with two touchdowns in the third quarter from quarterback Jacob Van Landingham, his fourth and fifth scores of the game.
The junior signal caller completed 11-of-18 passes for 133 yards and an interception. He also rushed eight times for 71 yards and had five total (three rushing, two passing) touchdowns.
Freshman running back Bubba Johnson added 19 rushes for 107 yards.
The Patriots were not only effective offensively, but their defense was also impressive. The Pounders managed just 202 total yards (129 rushing) on 42 plays and turned the ball over twice with an interception and fumble lost.
With the win, Page advances to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2012. There the Patriots will meet Spring Hill, the four seed from Region 4-4A.
The Raiders, which Page squeaked by 26-25 on Sept. 2, upset Region 3-4A top seed Stone Memorial on Friday, which was undefeated prior to the game.
Spring Hill (6-5) will travel to Page Friday.
