Cougars Earn Honors for 2011 State Championship Season

Five Piedmont Academy football players have been named to the GISA Class AA All-State team for 2011.

Peter Lawson, Seth Harvey, Daniel Lienweber, Jakey Dunagan and Zach Benjamin were each named All-State while Austin Corley and Justin Wilson were honorable mention selections. The players helped the Cougars go undefeated in 2011 and win their second state championship in a row.

Piedmont’s Rhett Farmer was named Class AA Coach of the Year.

Each of the players who was recognized for All-State honors was also named All-Region. In addition, Nick Dimsdale, Tyler Cullum and Gaven Edge were named to the All-Region team.

Benjamin, Lienweber, Corley and Harvey each played in the GISA All-Star football game Saturday in Macon. Farmer said the Cougars earned most of their playing time on the defensive side of the football.

“They all played well and did a good job,” said Farmer, who attended the contest.

Looking ahead to next season, Piedmont will compete in a revamped region. The GISA has formed four regions for Class AA with the Cougars competing with Arlington Christian, Griffin Christian, Flint River and Dominion. The state playoffs for AA will go to four rounds with four teams from each region qualifying.

Non-region opponents for the next two seasons will include Brentwood, Gatewood, Edmund Burke, Trinity (Dublin) and Trinity (Sharpsburg.) Farmer still has to add one additional game.

Schedules will be finalized later this month.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME NOTES: Piedmont’s coaching staff is comprised of several alumni including Bubba Nelson, Keith Mason and Joel Sauls. Statistician Walt Nelson is also a Piedmont graduate. All four competed for the Cougars during their high school days.

Also assisting head coach Rhett Farmer this season were defensive coordinator Wes Tanner and assistants Josh Daher and Alvin Hawkes. Daher is in his second year with the program while Hawkes is in his first.

“None of our coaches care who gets the credit,” Farmer said. “It’s why we have such a strong group.”

Tanner also had high praise for the coaching staff and the head coach.

“None of this is possible without the trust that Coach Farmer has in us as an entire coaching staff,” Tanner said. “We trust him and he trusts us. I know that he often praises the players and assistants but everyone needs to know how proud all of us are to have him. To work with him and for him is an absolute honor. He puts in so much for this team and sacrifices to make sure this team is prepared week in and week out. Each one of us owes him a huge debt of gratitude.”

Right before the game-winning touchdown by Peter Lawson in the state championship, assistant coach Keith Mason told the star player to “just get us 20 yards.” Lawson did just that as he dashed through the Edmund Burke defense on a play which capped the remarkable last drive.

Westwood won its second straight Class A title Friday night and is tied with Piedmont for the second longest winning streak in the GISA at 26.

Tattnall Square added another Class AAA state title to its impressive history Friday by defeating Stratford.

The football awards banquet has been set for Thursday, Jan. 19, at the school.

2011 Season Stats for 13 games:

Offensive

•Peter Lawson: 203 carries for 2,155 yards, 27 TDs rushing; 95- yard kick return for a TD (28 total TDs); 1-of-2 passing for 42 yards and 1 TD

•Zach Benjamin: 121 carries for 1,190 yards, 22 TDs rushing; 65 yard punt return for a TD (23 total TDs); 16-of-37 passing for 397 yards and 6 TDs

•Nick Dimsdale: 85 carries for 681 yards, 11 TDs rushing, 90-yard kickoff return for a TD, 11 receptions for 219 yards and 3 TDs (15 total offensive touchdowns; 16 total because of interception returned for a TD)

•Gaven Edge: 26 carries for 508 yards; 5 TD’s rushing, 2 receptions for 120 yards and 2 TDs (7 TDs total)

•Hunter Clark: 18 carries for 149 yards and 1 TD

•Hunter Knox: 14 carries for 124 yards and 2 TDs

•Bobby Mitchell: 3 receptions for 45 yards and 2 TDs

•Zach Beggs: 2 carries for 12 yards and 1 TD

•Hank Strickland: 4 carries for 11 yards

•Payden Cantera: 1 carry for 10 yards

•Britton Bailey: 1 reception for 2-point conversion

•Seth Harvey: 60-of-77 on PATs

Defensive

•Peter Lawson: 38 solo (1 for loss) and 41 assists

•Seth Harvey: 44 solo (8 for loss), 32 assists, 3 passes batted

down, 1 forced fumble and 1 blocked punt

•Justin Wilson: 19 solo and 23 assists

•Jakey Dunagan: 24 solo (2 for loss) and 32 assists

•Gaven Edge: 36 solo (3 for loss), 35 assists and 2 fumble

recoveries

•Austin Corley: 30 solo (4 for loss) and 48 assists

•Payden Cantera: 25 solo (2 for loss), 48 assists, 1 interception and 1 pass breakup

•Tyler Cullum: 21 solo, 23 assists, 5 interceptions and 6 pass breakups

•Hank Strickland: 26 solo, 34 assists, 4 interceptions and 2 pass breakups

•Nick Dimsdale: 20 solo, 14 assists, 3 interceptions and 6 pass breakups

•Zach Benjamin: 17 solo, 18 assists, 1 interception and 1 pass breakup

•Hunter Clark: 18 solo (3 for loss), 23 assists, 1 interception and 2 pass breakups

•Hunter Knox: 16 solo, 13 assists, 2 pass breakups, 1 interception

•Daniel Leinweber: 8 solo (2 tackles for loss), 16 assists

•Bobby Mitchell: 6 solo, 11 assists and 1 pass breakup

•Andrew Wilzman: 8 solo (1 for loss), 4 assists and 1 fumble recovery

•Mills Smith: 8 solo (1 for loss), 10 assists and 2 pass breakups

•Britton Bailey: 9 solo, 12 assists and 1 forced fumble

•Joshua Hempel: 2 solo (1 for loss), 7 assists and 1 forced fumble

•Evan Harvey: 9 solos (1 for loss), 16 assists and 1 blocked punt

•Luke Andrews: 1 solo and 6 assists

•Zach Whitwell: 1 solo and 1 assist

•Mackenzie Brittain: 3 solo, 6 assists and 1 fumble recovery

•Hunter Pope: 1 assist

•Chase Olsen: 7 assists

•Glade Tuggle: 3 solo, 3 assists, fumble recovery, recovered block punt for a TD

•Zach Beggs: 5 solo, 15 assists

•Gabe Hestad: 1 solo and 1 assist