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GREENSBORO -- The Page Pirates had overcome losing several close games during the regular season to make it to the third round of the playoffs, but they couldn't overcome the loss of their starting quarterback and fell 38-3 to Fayetteville Seventy-First.

The Pirates (9-5) lost starting quarterback Will Newman after their second series when Newman tried to run the ball up the middle and ended up dislocating his left shoulder. The loss of Newman combined with the Falcons' strong running game left the Pirates with an uphill battle all night.

"I'm proud of these guys," said Page coach Kevin Gillespie. "They kept coming back all season and that is the reason we got here because they just kept believing."

The Pirates fell behind quickly when Seventy-First scored on its second possession. Taking advantage of a short field, the Falcons pounded the ball at the Page defense and then hit a quick 16-yard pass to running back Maurice Scruggs that set up a 1-yard touchdown run by James Hopper and a 7-0 lead.

Bruce McKoy came in for Newman and struggled to find a rhythm with his receivers. Both teams struggled to make first downs and exchanged punts, but each time the Falcons were gaining better field position.

With the Pirates holding the Seventy-First running game in check, the Falcons looked to go to the air and quarterback Gerald Brayboy found a wide open Kris Jackson on a post pattern. Jackson made a fingertip catch and outran the Page defender to the end zone for a 55-yard touchdown and 14-0 lead.

"They were playing their safety maybe 5 yards from the line," said Fayetteville Seventy-First coach Bob Paroli. "We thought if we could get the wideout by the corner, the safety wouldn't have time to get back to help. We only throw about three to five times a game. It's not that we can't throw, we just want people to think we can't throw."

Page looked to get back into the game before halftime, when the Falcons fumbled and Page recovered at the Seventy-First 38. McKoy made a couple of good throws to move the Pirates into the red zone, but was taken down for a loss on third-and-1 and the Pirates settled for a 30-yard field goal.

The second half was all Falcons and their running game. After a McKoy fumble and then an interception, Seventy-First made the Pirates pay for the second mistake.

The Falcons took over on their own 6 and marched methodically down the field for an 18-play drive that included a fake punt near midfield. Brayboy punctuated the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run on the fourth play of the fourth quarter, giving the Falcons firm control with a 21-3 lead.

"They just wear you down if you're offense can't keep them off the field," Gillespie said. "He (McKoy) did a good job on some things, but he has got to do a better job of taking care of the ball. Some of the things we had planned, we couldn't even run. We were looking for some other guys to step up. Bottom line is we left our defense out there too long."

Seventy-First moves on to host South Mecklenburg, a 10-7 winner over A.C. Reynolds. Gillespie was disappointed in the way the season ended, but knows the program made great strides this year.

"It's been a long time since Page has been this far in the playoffs," Gillespie said. "We feel good about that. We were just 17 points from being here undefeated this season."

F -- James Hopper 1 run (Paul Beckman kick)

F -- Kris Jackson 55 pass from Gerald Brayboy (Beckman kick)

P -- Matt Millisor 30 FG

F -- Brayboy 12 run (Beckman kick)

F -- Brandon McNeill 2 run (Beckman kick)