Cougars Win Another Blowout
For the second consecutive week, the Piedmont Academy football team cruised to victory as the Cougars dispatched of visiting Griffin Christian 56-0 Friday.
Piedmont (3-0 overall) scored three touchdowns in both the first and second quarters of the home contest to take control of the contest. The Cougars then added two additional scores in the third quarter.
Hunter Knox had a monster performance needing just eight carries to rush for 226 yards and five touchdowns. Knox scored on runs of 95, 11, 1, 29 and 55 yards. Hank Strickland also caught an 80-yard scoring pass from Zach Beggs.
In addition to a 4-of-6 passing night for 218 yards, Beggs rushed for a 17-yard score.
In the past two weeks, the Cougars have outscored their opponents 133-0. The Piedmont defense has allowed just seven points in three contests in 2014.
“We went into the Griffin Christian game knowing we were going to have to play our starters more,” said coach Wes Tanner. “We have to get them more snaps. Our starters played into the third quarter and it was good to get them valuable game experience since we have such strong opponents coming up.”
Early in the contest, Griffin Christian’s defensive look caused the Piedmont offensive line to make adjustments.
“They gave us a different look than what we had seen on film,” Tanner said. “We were still firing off the football even if we weren’t technically perfect. We were definitely getting maximum effort.”
With Nolan Cleary at center, Payden Cantera and Hunter Burson at guards and Clay Kirkpatrick and Chris Cain at the tackle spots, the Cougar offensive front cleared the way for another huge offensive performance.
Tanner said Cleary also had his best game of the season on the defensive line.
Piedmont continues to benefit from strong special teams play this season. Chase Young was 8-of-8 on extra-point kicks Friday and remains perfect for the season.
Things should be tougher in terms of competitiveness this week as the Cougars venture to Athens for their first road trip of the season against Monsignor Donovan. A member of Region 4-AA, the Rams have been one of the surprise teams in 2014 as they have raced out to a 3-0 start as well with wins against Loganville Christian (64-0), Gatewood (61-48) and Holy Spirit (37-0.)
The win against Gatewood is noteworthy since both Piedmont and Monsignor Donovan have defeated the Gators. The Cougars won in a defensive battle 14-7 while the Rams defeated Gatewood in a contest which featured 109 points.
The ability this week’s opponent has shown to score points is something which has the Piedmont coaches planning for this week.
“They look very good,” Tanner said. “They seem to be very fast. It will be a dog fight. I’m glad we will get this challenge, however. It will be a tough game. They execute as well in the passing game as anyone I have seen in the GISA.”
Monsignor Donovan used a deep passing game out of a pro pistol backfield look. Tanner estimated the Rams pass the football 70 percent of the time.
“They are very opportunistic,” the Piedmont coach said. “Against Gatewood, they had two kickoff returns for scores and also returned an interception for a touchdown. Everyone they have played so far has not been able to limit their long touchdowns. No one has made them drive the football. That’s the mystery in all of this. Can they make sustained drives throughout a game? That’s what we are going to try to do.”
Injury-wise, Tanner said his team is healthy other than the normal bumps and bruises all teams face after three games.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Piedmont fans should note the game is not at the Monsignor Donovan campus.
Stats vs. Griffin Christian
•Zach Beggs: 4-of-6 passing, 218 yards
•Hunter Knox: 8 carries for 226 yards, five TDs
•Team rushing: 18 for 276
•Chase Young, 8-of-8 on point-after kicks
Players of the Week:
•Offense: Hank Strickland
•Defense: Hunter Burson
•Special Teams: Chase Young