BRENTWOOD — Brentwood quarterback Gavin Strang felt the sickness creep into his stomach as Page lined up for an onside kick, with the chance to take the ball back down for six as the clocked ticked under two minutes to play in Week 4 of the TSSAA football season.
Strang could only hold his breath as the subsequent kick skidded off the turf before finding its way into the hands of a Bruins teammate, all but securing Brentwood its biggest win of the season.
Isaac Carano converted a first down that finalized a 20-14 victory over Page, as Brentwood (3-1) snapped Page's 17-game win streak. It marked Page's first loss since a loss to Sevier County in the 2024 TSSAA Class 5A state championship game.
Strang completed 15-of-20 passes for 161 yards with
an interception, while sophomore Parker Cates rushed for 59 yards and two touchdowns. Page (3-1) had not lost a regular season game in over three years.
"Coming into this game, we had a little motto, 'Respect isn't given, it's earned' ..." linebacker Evan McComas said. "We knew we were going to win this game. Everyone. Especially when we went into the locker room at half, we were like, 'We got this.'"
There was a confident buzz throughout the Bruins locker room all week leading into its matchup against the 2025 state champions.
Coach Clint Finch attributed it to the team's senior leadership, as did Cates, who spent a nearly 90-minute halftime rain delay alongside veterans like McComas, Strang, Jones Merrill and Parker Emerson, who kept the team hungry returning to the field with a 13-0 lead.
"I don't think anyone had a doubt we were going to lose this game," Cates said. "(The veterans) really put in our heads, we have nothing to lose. Everyone was doubting us ... but we all knew we were going to win. We wouldn't be where we are without the senior leaders, so that's really where it comes from."
The Bruins lead blossomed to 20-0 with 6:20 remaining in the third quarter as Cates logged his second rushing score of the game.
Two fourth quarter rushing scores from Page QB Cam Kruse, who also had 141 passing yards, cut the gap to a single score with 2:02 to play, but Brentwood's defense ultimately held Page to its lowest scoring total since the Patriots' 14-0 win over Franklin in Sept. 2024.
"Everyone in the locker room knew we were going to win. Everyone in the classroom, in the school, didn't think so," Strang said. "And so I think we just proved them wrong. We had the highest confidence level and this just boosted it so much more. I think we're going to do great things this year."
Harrison Campbell covers high school sports for The Daily Herald and The Tennessean. Email him at hcampbell@usatodayco.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Brentwood football snapped Page's 17-game win streak
