Piedmont Falls to Gatewood, 63-0

Piedmont Academy coach Will Johnson said going into last Friday’s game against Gatewood that the Gators would be the toughest opponent his Cougars had faced this season.

Unfortunately for Piedmont, the coach’s prediction was right on the money as host Gatewood rolled to a 63-0 victory in Eatonton. The game closed out the regular season for the Cougars at 3-6 overall.

“They are the best team in Class AA hands down,” Johnson said of Gatewood. “They are also one of the top three teams in the entire GISA regardless of classification. Sometimes you run into an opponent of that nature.”

With the team already down multiple scores in the first quarter the Piedmont coaches pulled many of the starters and used the remainder of the game as a time to get backup and younger players some valuable game experience.

“It was a positive time for those players because it was good to get them on the field,” Johnson said. “They enjoyed being able to compete and getting that actual game time.”

With the playoffs beginning for the Cougars next week the coaching staff did not want to risk injury.

Junior Davin Waldrop, in his first season competing in the program, suffered a leg injury in the Gatewood game which required surgery. Jonson said Waldrop has been a special teams standout this season for Piedmont.

“Davin is a true team player,” his coach said. “We hated to see his season end.”

Freshman Johnny Crowe saw the field at quarterback and made some positive plays.

“He completed some passes and ran the football well,” Johnson said. “It was good to see him out there in the fire.”

Piedmont will compete in the GISA Class A playoff bracket and face Monsignor Donovan on Friday, Nov. 22 The two teams met earlier this season with the Rams taking a 40-28 win.

The first meeting between the schools was the initial game for the Cougars after their scheduled opener against John Hancock Academy was not played due to weather conditions.

“After the first game with Monsignor Donovan we knew we had a great chance to see them again,” Johnson said. “We had a few key mistakes and penalties in that matchup.”

Piedmont led midway through the fourth quarter in the previous meeting this season.

The GISA will determine a neutral location for the contest since Monsignor Donovan does not have an on-campus stadium. The extra week will allow Cougar players a chance to be back to 100 percent for the postseason contest.

See next week’s edition for a complete preview of that game and the GISA Class A playoffs.