FRANKLIN – All things considered, it's a good dilemma to have.
Page football coach Charles Rathbone knows how valuable Knight Wilson is to his elite defense by making calls and lining players up. But he also knows the Patriots' offense takes a hit when the Air Force commit isn't on the field.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe trick is in making sure Wilson's not overworked and deploying him strategically.
There wasn't a better time to deploy Wilson than with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter of the TSSAA football playoffs Class 5A quarterfinals with Page trailing Beech 21-17. Cam Kruse saw Wilson get an inch of separation from his defender and launched the ball deep down the left sideline. Wilson caught Kruse's pass, shoved the Buccaneers' corner to the ground, juked past a trailing safety and practically walked across the goal line.
Wilson's go-ahead, 86-yard touchdown catch helped Page (12-0) put away Beech 31-21 on Nov. 21 and advance to the semifinals of the TSSAA football playoffs. The Patriots will host Centennial (7-5) on Nov. 28 with a chance to reach their fifth consecutive BlueCross Bowl.
"Just the resilience of this team, man, we don't falter when we go down in games," Wilson said. "We just keep fighting, keep going to work."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMORE: TSSAA football playoffs scores for Division I quarterfinals, DII semifinals
The Buccaneers (10-2) went ahead 14-0 on a pair of Kaden Powell touchdown runs in the first quarter and became the first team in the last two years — outside of Sevier County in last season's state championship game — to hold a fourth-quarter lead on Page. The Patriots' average margin of victory coming in was 35 points. They felt they got exactly what they needed.
"In that locker room, there was nobody hanging their head," Wilson said. "We were excited to be in this kind of position, go play a big-time game. It's what you want as a high school kid."
Page’s Knight Wilson (0) runs in a touchdown against Beech during the fourth quarter at Page High School in Franklin, Tenn., Friday, Nov. 21, 2025.Wilson, a three-star recruit who will play safety at Air Force, had four receptions for 136 yards, including a long, third-down catch-and-run which set up Kruse's game-sealing touchdown. He credited running backs Isaac Otey and James Pierre, who combined for 176 yards on 19 carries, for forcing Beech to load the box and create openings downfield.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Me and Cam got the look and took a big-time shot, and it was a big-time play," he said. "The other was a tunnel screen we added this week. We knew they were bringing a lot of pressure trying to get after Cam, so perfect dial-up by the coaches."
Wilson left the field after a fourth-quarter defensive stop, blood coming from his upper lip, as he clasped both hands together and rested his head on them, his way of saying "good night" to the Buccaneers. Moments later, he and his teammates surrounded Rathbone for a TV interview, and when Rathbone mentioned Wilson, they serenaded the future Air Force Falcon with bird noises.
"He's always a threat," Rathbone said. "He can do things other people can't do. He's just a great athlete. He always has been."
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at [email protected] and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Knight Wilson, Page overcome adversity in TSSAA football playoffs
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