The Page Pirates entered the 2025 season looking to improve after finishing 3–8 last year, and so far, they’ve shown flashes of promise. In Friday’s matchup, the Pirates stunned everyone against the Northwest Vikings with a 42–21 victory, evening their record at 1–1. Several key players stepped up in a big way to secure the win.

On offense, the Pirates were led by running back and linebacker Jesse Poole (JW), who made his presence felt on both sides of the ball. Poole rushed and received for a combined 88 yards, averaging seven yards per carry, and constantly punished the Viking defense with his power running. Quarterback Anthony Johnson (AJ) had perhaps the best night of all, completing 3 of 3 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 103 yards on nine carries and a touchdown. Johnson finished with 180 total yards. His top target was wide receiver Kasai Poindexter, who hauled in two catches for 67 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown highlight play that electrified the crowd.

The defense was just as impressive. Linebacker Justin Dockery and corner back Justin White anchored a unit that caused chaos for Northwest’s offense. Dockery tallied seven solo tackles, while White broke up two passes and snagged a crucial interception, in what may have been my personal defensive play of the night.

The Vikings, who finished 9–3 last season, beating Page 12-45, and placed third in the conference, were expected to be a major challenge, but the Pirates controlled the game from start to finish. With the win, Page improved to 1–1 and now turns its focus to Mt. Tabor, who sit at 0–2.

While the Pirates have struggled in recent years, their dominant showing against Northwest proves that this team is capable of being competitors this season. With momentum on their side, hope is alive for a much stronger season ahead.

More from Page Football players can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhcTctFxSl4