Cougars Fall on the Road
Piedmont Academy’s road trip to face Bethlehem Temple in region play went well for a half last Friday, but by the time the game was over the Cougars were on the wrong end of a 55-28 score.
The Cougars led 21-14 at halftime but strong third and fourth quarters by the Bethlehem Temple Wildcats led to what turned out to be a one-side victory, at least on the scoreboard. Piedmont will wrap up the regular season this Friday, also on the road, against a strong Flint River Academy team in Woodbury.
Coach Wes Tanner’s team had plenty of offensive success against Bethlehem Temple, but turnovers hurt Piedmont. Chris McClain was 7-of-11 through the air for 108 yards and two scores while Dalton Whitley was 8-of-13 for 79 yards and one touchdown.
On the ground, Mack Brady rushed for 50 yards on seven carries while Wyatt Galloway added 28 yards on four attempts. Logan Conner rushed for 21 yards and a score on seven carries while Owen Brady added 15 yards on five attempts.
Michael Edwards hauled in six passes for 87 yards and a score while Galloway caught three passes for 31 yards and a touchdown. J.T. Webb (two catches for 37 yards) and Tyler Mills (one catch for 34 yards) also added to the receiving totals. Mack Brady had one reception for 18 yards.
Piedmont had 311 yards of total offense.
“We had a good first half,” Tanner said. “As many things as we did well in the first half from the running game to the passing game, things just went against us in the second half. You have to give credit to Bethlehem Temple. They are a much improved team.”
Defensively, Mills had three tackles and three assists while Ben Smith had three tackles and seven assists. Parker Clark had a strong defensive effort with two tackles, two assists and a quarterback sack. Conner recorded two stops and five assists while Whitley had five assists.
Other defensive leaders included McClain (one tackle, three assists), Webb (one tackle, four assists) and Jaron Autry (one tackle, three assists.)
This week’s opponent will be another in a long line of quality foes for the Cougars this season. Piedmont travels to Woodbury to face Flint River Academy Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The Wildcats are coached by Kirk Hoffman, a long-time successful coach at Alcovy High School in Covington and Spalding High School. Hoffman is in his first season at Flint River and has the Wildcats on the verge of a possible region title. Flint River enters this week 7-2 overall and 2-0 in region play.
A win by the Cougars, coupled by a win by Bethlehem Temple in its game against Windsor, would likely create a three-way tie for first in the region. The tie-breaker used would be points allowed in the first half against fellow region teams.
“It will be another tough one this Friday,” Tanner said. “The opportunity is still there for us. We have a chance to prevent Flint River from winning region outright on their field. We want to compete, play hard and get after it.”
The best case scenario for the Cougars would be to win this Friday against Flint River and to have Windsor defeat Bethlehem Temple. Before worrying about the outcome of any other game, Tanner said, Piedmont needs to take care of its own business by defeating the Flint River Wildcats.
Stats vs. Bethlehem Temple
Offense:
*Chris McClain: 7-of-11, 108 yards, two TDS
*Dalton Whitley: 8-of-13, 79 yards, one TD
*Mack Brady: seven carries for 50 yards; one reception for 18 yards
*Wyatt Galloway: four carries for 28 yards; three catches for 31 yards, one TD
*Logan Conner: seven carries for 21 yards, one TD
*Owen Brady: five carries for 15 yards
*Michael Edwards: six catches for 87 yards, one TD
*J.T. Webb: two catches for 37 yards
*Tyler Mills: one reception for 34 yards
Defense:
*Tyler Mills: three tackles, three assists
*Ben Smith: three tacles, seven assists
*Parker Clark: two tackles, two assists, one quarterback
*Logan Conner: two tackles, five assists
*Chris McClain: one tackle, three assists
*J.T. Webb: one tackle, four assists
*Jaron Autry: one tackle, three assists
*Dalton Whitley: five assists