Grimsley, now Metro 4A Conference Champions, defeated arch rival Page High School 54-0 on Friday. It was the 63rd meeting between these two rivals and for the fifth straight year, it was the Whirlies who took home the bragging rights. Since 1960, the Page vs. Grimsley game has grown to one of the most storied rivalries in the State of North Carolina. The 2023 match-up had a lot on the line, as Page looked for the upset bid and chance to steal the Metro 4A Conference Crown. But it was Grimsley who stole the show, winning by 54, the largest margin of victory ever in this rivalry.
A packed Jamieson Stadium saw Grimsley running back Mitchell Summers run for 5 touchdowns and quarterback Faizon Brandon add two through the air as the Whirlie offense scored 8 touchdowns as a unit. The Grimsley defense looked just as sharp as the Pirates only had 16 yards passing, held Page to 5 three-and-outs and only allowed Page to cross midfield once. Plagued by mistakes, the Pirate offense never got going, and the defense had no answers to stopping one of the most prolific offenses in the State.
After the kickoff was delayed thirty minutes due to hail storm and lighting two hours before the game, fans wearing red and blue started making their way into the stadium. As the temperature dipped into the low 50’s, a light breeze helped to dry the stands and field and by kickoff, the turf was in good condition.
Page received the opening kickoff at the 20 after Grimsley kicker Luke Barnes forced a touchback. The opening Page drive would be a precursor to what the offense would look like all night. After a false start, a one-yard run, a personal foul, and then two short runs, Page would end up losing 16 yards and punt from their own 4 yard line. It was a theme that was replayed many times in the contest. Page was flagged 10 times for 80 yards. And it was when those flags happened that really stood out. False starts on first down, against a team like Grimsley, only make the upset harder. A holding penalty, on what would have been a successful fake punt, often proved too much to overcome. Personal fouls and defensive encroachment gave the Whirlies free plays and yards. And they took advantage.
Grimsley went three plays on their opening drive, covering 47 yards and ending with a 17 yard Mitchell Summers touchdown run to make it 7-0. After a second three and out by Page, Grimsley would go three plays, 57 yards also finished off by a 3 yard Summers touchdown run to make it 14-0 as the first quarter came to a close. In the second quarter, after an unsuccessful fourth down conversion play by the Pirates, the next Grimsley drive would end on a fumble recovery by Page. Sensing they may have grabbed some momentum back, they picked up two first downs and eventually brought up fourth down and 5. Coach Robertson sent out the punt team but instead of kicking it, they hiked it to one of the up-men and he rumbled for a first down…..until it was called back on a holding call. It would be as close as the Pirates would get. Now on 4th and 15, the Pirates punted it away and Grimsley never looked back.
Grimsley would score three touchdowns in the second quarter. The first was a 20 yard touchdown pass to Terrell Anderson, the second was a one play, 42 yard touchdown run by Summers. But it was the third scoring drive that showed just how potent this Grimsley offense can be. After a 13 yard punt by Page, Grimsley would set up shop on their own 30 yard line with just 1:35 left till halftime. With two timeouts, leading 27-0, the Whirlies went to the air, completing pass after pass and driving the length of the field. And on the final play of the first half, Brandon found Alex Taylor from 24 yards out as time expired to give the Whirlies a commanding 34-0 lead and end any hopes of a Page comeback.
Grimsley received the opening second half kick and quickly drove 55 yards on 5 plays ending with a Summers 20 yard touchdown run. After a Page three and out, Grimsley would go 52 yards on 6 plays capped off by Summers’ fifth rushing touchdown to make it 48-0 and a running clock would ensue. With all the Grimsley starters on both sides of the ball out of the game, Grimsley running back Fort Hihelgo ran for a 42 touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to finish off the scoring at 54-0.
For all the talk this week, it was all Grimsley. The 54 points became the largest margin of victory in the history of the rivalry. Page had the previous record of 49. Grimsley scored touchdowns on 8 of 10 drives and now has scored 318 points in conference play while only giving up 26! It has been an unstoppable offense. Mitchell Summers had 9 carries for 118 yards and 5 touchdowns. He rushed for 13 yards per carry! Faizon Brandon went 11-15 for 197 yards and 2 touchdowns. Terrell Anderson caught 7 balls for 106 yards and 1 TD, while Alex Taylor caught 5 for 97 and a touchdown. Michah Williams had 51 yards rushing and Fort Hihelgo had 42 and a touchdown.
For Page, Maurice Andrews ran hard collecting 18 carries and close to 50 yards while Nigel Hinson completed 3 of 5 passes for 16 yards. Both teams have one remaining game left in the regular season. Grimsley travels to Northern Guilford while Page travels to Southwest Guilford.