Elementary Cougars Fall on the Road

Piedmont Academy’s Jr. Pro (Elementary School) football team faced tough odds against John Milledge last week on the road, but still managed to play well in several areas.

Despite a 25-8 setback, the young Cougars continued to gain valuable experience that will only help them down the road, coach Justin Owens said.

Fifth grade starting tailback and safety Carson Hammock was out sick so second grader Matt Allen had to step in.

“We were also hampered by injuries throughout the second half and had to keep shuffling players into positions they weren’t familiar with,” Coach Owens said.

The first half started with a quick touchdown drive by John Milledge. The Cougars were unable to gain any momentum on offense for most of the first half.

Late in the second quarter, John Milledge found the end zone again but failed on the conversion attempt when Piedmont’s Hunter “Big Blue” Thompson made a key tackle.

Trailing 13-0 with a minute remaining in the first half, the Cougars were able to put together a drive which was capped with a 35-yard touchdown run by fifth grader Mason Owens and a two-point conversion by Allen to cut the lead to 13-8 at halftime.

The second half saw the host Trojans take control helped by some injuries to Cougar players. John Milledge added two more scores for a 25-8 final.

Piedmont was led by Allen and Owens with 61 total yards. The defense was paced by fifth grader Drew Maddox, who had seven tackles before having to leave the game with an injury. Also turning in strong defensive efforts were fourth graders Sean Davis and Ridge Stroud.

“It is a good experience for these boys to play a larger team like John Milledge as it teaches them to persevere through adversity,” Coach Owens said. “These players never let up and showed tremendous heart. I’m extremely proud of the character of our boys and the sportsmanship that they display, both of which are more important than the numbers on the scoreboard.”

The Elementary School Cougars will travel to Creekside Christian in McDonough on Saturday for a 10 a.m. contest before playing their final game on Monday at home against Fullington Academy