Cougars Fall in Quarterfinals
Friday the 13th turned into a real life nightmare for the Piedmont Academy football team.
The Cougars were stunned 66-32 by visiting Windsor in a quarterfinal match-up of the GISA Class AA state playoffs. Piedmont had defeated the Knights during the regular season but the rematch went in Windsor’s favor.
“You have to give them credit,” said Cougar coach Wes Tanner. “They deserved to win this game. It clearly didn’t go the way we wanted.”
It was a night where practically everything Windsor tried turned out successfully working. The Knights’ offense proved unstoppable. After taking a 24-20 halftime lead, Windsor added 34 more second half points. The Knights final point total could have easily been in the 70s had it not been for several missed two-point conversion attempts.
Piedmont’s defense held Windsor on its first series of the second half forcing a punt. However, the Knights would recover a fumble to gain possession again at the Cougar 41-yard line. Windsor then took just one play to find the end zone and move in front 30-20 with 9:15 left in the third quarter.
Needing a score, Piedmont moved 67 yards in eight plays capped by a five-yard run by quarterback Mack Brady with 6:10 left in the quarter. A two-point conversion attempt failed to leave the score at 30-26. It would be as close as the Cougars would get in the second half of the game.
Windsor then scored on its next three possession to move in front 52-26 early in the fourth quarter. The Knights also recovered an onsides kick attempt during that span.
Brady got in the end zone again on a two-yard run with 6:27 left but Windsor continued scoring adding another touchdown with 2:15 left and a final six points, this time on an interception return with 46 seconds left.
Windsor advances to the state semifinals where the Knights, a No. 2 seed, will face Robert Toombs. Both teams compete in Region 4-AA of the GISA.
Piedmont actually put the first points of the game on the scoreboard on a six-play, 55-yard drive to start the contest. Passes from Brady to Wyatt Galloway and Michael Edwards highlighted the drive which ended on an 11-yard run by the junior quarterback. Zach Wilson added the point-after.
Windsor would answer quickly, however, on a 55-yard drive in five plays capped by an eight-yard run with 8:04 still remaining in the first quarter.
The Cougars then went three-and-out which set the Knights up at their own 37 after a punt. It took Windsor just two plays to cover the 63 yards. Another failed two-point conversion left the score at 12-7.
After Piedmont turned the football over on downs at the Windsor 14-yard line, the Cougar defense forced the Knights to punt after three plays. Piedmont then moved 55 yards and found the end zone—and the lead once again—on a four-yard run by Ben Davis with 28 seconds still remaining in the game’s opening quarter.
Windsor answer with a 53-yard touchdown run to regain the lead and then scored on a 28-yard halfback pass. The two-point conversion failed after both touchdowns including one which was intercepted by Edwards.
Piedmont pulled to within 24-20 before halftime on a well-orchestrated 10-play drive covering 72 yards. Brady converted a fourth down attempt during the possession, which ended with the quarterback fighting in from 13 yards out.
The Cougars then recovered a fumble on the kickoff and were in position to get more points before halftime but could not covert a fourth and 11 attempt inside Windsor territory.
“Windsor was simply a lot better than us,” Tanner said. “A lot of times you just have to tip your cap to your opponent and that was the case here. They won the game. We didn’t give it to them. It was just a tough, long night for us. I’m not sure what we could have done any differently.”
Going into the playoffs, Piedmont’s coach said he knew the match-up against Windsor was a tough draw.
“In eight years of coaching at Piedmont, we had not had a let down game in that time,” Tanner said.
“It’s going to happen at some point and it’s unfortunate that it happened in this one.”