Source: Williamson Herald Sports Author/Photos: Charles Pulliam

Senior Samson Johnson took two of three handoffs in overtime with the last being a head-down, not-to-be-denied blast from three yards out that kept the Nolensville High School football team unbeaten and handed Page its first loss after a 27-21 electrifying battle for the Region 6-5A lead with all eyes from around the state on the contest.

Johnson also rushed for the tying touchdown in the all-Williamson County top 10 showdown – a 7-yarder – with 3:26 to play in regulation before capping the Knights overtime possession after the Nolensville defense stopped Page's four consecutive rushing attempts to open the extra session. 

"It was a roller coaster from the start," Johnson said. "We knew we were going to find a way to win. That's all that mattered. It was crazy. It was the craziest game." 

Nolensville coach Paul Derrick said his team was "fortunate to come out with the win."

"I think it was the game everyone was looking for and it was a game that lived up to the hype," an excited Derrick told WAKM AM-950 after the contest. "Page played a great game, our kids played a great game in an awesome atmosphere.

"Our kids are fighters. They just kept fighting, with their backs against the wall, no matter what the situation."

With regulation ending in a 21-all tie, the Patriots had the first shot from 10 yards out in overtime, riding the legs of Ethan Cunningham. Cunningham lined up on 4th-and-1 and attacked the right side one more time but was met by junior linebacker Joseph Carano, who shot through a gap untouched, driving Cunningham backward to stop the threat.

"We felt like we could run off the right side all night long and they overloaded the side, but you know, we are getting three or four yards a pop, but we just missed a block off that right edge," Page coach Charles Rathbone said. "It happens. You get in these games, one play is all it takes to win or lose it. And that lost it for us." 

Johnson followed out of the wildcat for Nolensville and gained five yards on his first touch to the right side. Chance Fitzgerald took the handoff for two more yards on second down before Johnson used a big push from linemen Bailey Black and Brennan Fortenberry up front along with tight end Nick Orefice to pound in for the game-winner.

"It's just amazing," said Johnson, who ran 11 times for 41 yards and caught three balls for 35 more. "I just saw the hole and I just hit it and my mind just went blank."

The dramatic finish was appropriate for a game that was hyped as the regional championship contest between two of only five undefeated Class 5A teams in the state going into the contest. A standing room only crowd, some of whom began arriving as early as 3 p.m., and included a special edition of WCS Gameday, stuck around until the very end just after 10 p.m. The game was the MyTV 30 featured contest, the Tennessee Titans Game of the Week and carried on several radio outlets, including WAKM. 

It featured two of the most productive offenses in the state, but turned into a defensive struggle early. Page's second possession ended when Eric Harper snagged a Colin Hurd pass in the end zone, but the Knights could not capitalize. Forced to punt, Page used a pair of Hurd to Boyce Smith passes and a Hurd scramble to cover 40 yards and take the first lead 7-0 on Smith's 17-yard touchdown catch early in the second quarter.

Nolensville answered in less than 90 seconds, covering 79 yards, with 66 of them on a Coby Walton to Dylan Northcutt scoring connection down the right sideline. A holding penalty and Taylor Wein's emphatic 9-yard tackle for a loss set Page back on the ensuing possession, giving the Knights a chance to take the lead as halftime approached. 

Wein, a senior who closed with three tackles for loss, said the atmosphere was unmatched, even early on. 

"I mean, an hour and a half before the game, the stands were full," he said. "It played a huge factor in the momentum and the confidence of our team. 

"The whole city of Nolensville was here." 

Hudson Amason stepped in front of a Walton pass and raced back to the Nolensville 34-yard line to snag some momentum back for the visitors. After another Hurd-to-Smith connection, Cunningham broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and raced away from the Nolensville defense for a 23-yard touchdown that put the Patriots up 14-7 at halftime.

Page appeared to have the upper hand in a seesaw third quarter before Nolensville's Jackson Bandy, who seemed to be everywhere on defense, stole a Hurd pass. Three plays later, Fitzgerald took a jet sweep around the right end for four yards and the tying score late in the third.

"We had to just out-physical them," said Fitzgerald, who hauled in 13 catches for 99 yards. "We just kept punching and punching in the mouth." 

However, the Patriots wasted little time regaining the lead and forced Nolensville to punt from their own end zone. Beginning at the Knights 40-yard line, Hurd found Henry Cason open for a 38-yard catch-and-run on the third play of the drive, putting the visitors back in front, 21-14, with 9:30 remaining in regulation.

With their backs to the wall, the Knights engineered their best drive of the night, covering 75 yards in 16 plays and eating 6:04 off the fourth-quarter clock. Walton threw nine passes in the march – completing seven – with each pass intended for Fitzgerald. After those two covered the first 50 yards, two rushes by Zion Tamaska and a pair by Johnson closed the deal, with Johnson tying the game on his 7-yard scamper with 3:26 to play.

The Walton-to-Fitzgerald connection was the hot ticket of the night. Walton finished 21 of 32 for 226 yards.

Hurd hit 9 of 16 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. Playing without injured leading receiver Max Collins, Boyce Smith stepped up to catch seven passes for 69 yards and the score. Cunningham was the rushing workhorse for the Patriots, with 23 carries and 71 yards.

Defensively, sophomore Eric Hazzard was yet again a menace for the Patriots. 

He led the team with seven tackles, including three sacks. Jace Hoath also posted two sacks of Walton for the Patriots defense.

"We know what they have, they know what we have now," Hazzard said, hinting toward a potential playoff meeting again next month. "We just got to come out and fight harder." 

Both teams have next week off thanks to Fall Break before returning to action against Region 7-6A in-county opponents. Nolensville (8-0, 4-0) will travel to Franklin (0-8) while Page (7-1, 3-1) will host Independence (4-4) on Oct. 21.

Friday was the first time the Knights defeated the Patriots in the budding rivalry. Page had won the first four meetings, including last year's 20-15 second-round playoff meeting in Rudderville.  

Johnson said Friday night's feeling is one he won't forget.

"I've never experienced anything close to this," Johnson said. "We showed it tonight. We showed what we can do and it was on our senior night with a crazy crowd in a rivalry game … it's just the best feeling I could have right now."

Page 27, Nolensville 21, OT 

PHS 0 14 0 7 0 – 21 

NHS 0 7 7 7 6 – 27 

Scoring Summary 

Q2 11:40 P – Boyce Smith 17 pass from Colin Hurd (Zane Cannon kick);

Q2 10:12 N – Dylan Northcutt 66 pass from Coby Walton (Reese Miller kick);

Q2 3:45 P – Ethan Cunningham 23 run (Cannon kick);

Q3 2:45 N – Chance Fitzgerald 4 run (Miller kick);

Q4 9:30 P – Henry Cason 38 pass from Hurd (Cannon kick);

Q4 3:26 N – Samson Johnson 7 run (Miller kick);

OT N – Johnson 3 run.

Individual Statistics 

Rushing – PHS 30-91 (Ethan Cunningham 23-71, Colin Hurd 6-15, McClean Copeland 1-5); NHS 31-62 (Samson Johnson 11-41, Coby Walton 13-6, Zion Tamaska 6-36, Chance Fitzgerald 2-6).

Passing – PHS Colin Hurd 9-16-2-2 for 120; NHS Coby Walton 21-32-1-1 for 226. 

Receiving – Page 9-123 (Boyce Smith 7-69, Henry Cason 1-38, Ethan Cunningham 1-13); NHS 21-226 (Chance Fitzgerald 13-99, Dylan Northcutt 3-77, Samson Johnson 3-35, Eric Harper 1-11, Nick Orefice 1-4).