Cougars See Bright Spots in Scrimmage

Piedmont Academy’s football team was able to line up against an opposing team last Friday as the Cougars continue to work toward the Aug. 24 season opener.

Coach Rhett Farmer’s team hosted Brookwood for a preseason scrimmage and got the opportunity to see what areas still need work at this point. The coach said he saw several good things from his team in the scrimmage, which lasted approximately 90 minutes.

“We got a lot out of it,” Farmer said. “Everybody got to play. Our No. 1 guys went about three series and our No. 2 players did the same. The coaches broke down the film Friday night and again Saturday morning. We felt the scrimmage helped us.”

Hunter Knox stepped in at quarterback and showed potential running the option. Peter Lawson had a strong night at running back and at quarterback.

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“Brookwood stunted a lot and we didn’t do well on some of our offensive combo blocks,” Farmer said. “Overall though our first unit did well up front.”

Nick Dimsdale made catches out of the backfield and Gaven Edge had a touchdown run. Smith caught a touchdown pass from Lawson and Ben Davis made a catch.

Defensively, the coaches liked how the tackles and nose guards played.

“Our linebackers played physical,” Farmer said. “Sometimes, they were even too aggressive.”

Smith stepped in for the first time at defensive end and was a stand out. Josh Hempel had quality time at nose guard. The defensive secondary also graded well, with the exception of one long pass play. Hank Strickland and Lawson both had fumble recoveries.

“The highlight defensively was probably how our front seven played,” Farmer said.

“Britton Bailey had several tackles and an interception. Overall, it was not a bad effort for this point in the preseason.”

The Cougars will now begin preparing for the Aug. 24 season opener against Westwood.

“We will look at what they are doing and start having our scout team line up in their sets,” Farmer said. “We have to be prepared for their fronts.”

The season opener, which will be in Camilla, is a matchup between the two GISA schools with the longest winning streak.

Both Westwood, the two-time defending Class A champion, and Piedmont, the two-time defending Class AA champion, have posted 26 consecutive victories.

Even with the game still more than a week away, Farmer noted “they are very good.”