FRANKLIN, Tenn. - Page quarterback Michael Magochy rolled through the regular season with just one interception.
Against East Hamilton on Friday, he was picked off twice - in the first half.
And that, in a nutshell, was how the night played out for the Patriots during a 32-7 loss to East Hamilton in the opening round of the TSSAA Class 4A playoffs.
East Hamilton's relentless pass rush, coupled with messy conditions, made things difficult for Magochy, who has earned the reputation as one of the top quarterbacks in the midstate after throwing for more than 2,000 yards this season. He finished 21-of-37 for 193 yards and three interceptions against the Hurricanes (7-4) while being hurried much of the night.
East Hamilton 32, Page High School 7
The star: In a balanced attack, Jeffrey Coleman caught five passes for 110 yards with two TDs.Up next: East Hamilton travels to Crossville for a rematch with region champ Stone Memorial.
"We didn't protect him very well," said Page coach Charles Rathbone. "Coming into the season, our offensive line was a concern, but they've done a good job this year. Tonight, though, East Hamilton was really the first team that exploited us up front."
East Hamilton - which scored two touchdowns in the final 2:11 of the second quarter to build a 32-7 halftime lead - now advances to a second-round matchup against Stone Memorial in a rematch of a game the Hurricanes lost last week.
East Hamilton quarterback Nick Woods completed 9 of 12 passes for 142 yards and tallied three touchdowns - two passing and one rushing - in Friday's game. Each of his touchdown passes went to Jeffery Coleman, who finished with five catches for 110 yards, including the touchdown receptions of 27 and 68 yards. Davis Whiteside had 146 rushing yards on 20 attempts with one touchdown.
"We wanted to be the more physical team tonight, and we did that," said Woods, a 6-foot-1 junior quarterback. "We prepared hard all week, we had a great game plan and we executed it. It feels great to be moving on. We wanted to play (Stone Memorial) again. We're ready to go back up there."
Buoyed by a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown by Frankie Campo, the Hurricanes jumped out to an 18-0 early in the second quarter. Page cut into the deficit when Magochy and Connor Morss hooked up on a 77-yard scoring pass with 4:36 to play before halftime, but East Hamilton scored twice before the end of the quarter - with the second score being set up by an interception - to take a 32-7 lead into the locker room.
East Hamilton forced four turnovers in the game, adding a fumble recovery.
"We talked a lot this week about being on the positive side of the takeaway battle, and even though that sounds like coach-speak, we knew how important it was going to be tonight," East Hamilton coach Ted Gatewood said. "And I am really proud of our kids. They've really been growing up as the season has gone along, and I thought they really played hard tonight."