Piedmont Wins Much Hyped Region Contest
Like most highly anticipated football showdowns, there was plenty of pre-game talk leading into the Piedmont Academy-Edmund Burke contest.
Internet message boards were buzzing with talk of who would win and why. In the end, the Cougars did their talking on the field and recorded a 35-14 win against the previously undefeated Spartans. While three region games remain, Friday’s victory gives Piedmont the inside track at the 1-AA title.
“This was certainly a big one,” Piedmont coach Rhett Farmer said. “They are a quality team. It’s another case of the score not reflecting how tough of a battle this was. At this point, I’m not sure we are 21 points better. They gave us a short field a few times. When you are able to start drives near the 50, it’s certainly an advantage.”
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Edmund Burke, just as it did in last season’s state championship game, scored first on a three-play drive, which ended on a 70-yard run by quarterback Logan Christian. The Cougar defense had Christian trapped in the backfield, but he scrambled away down the left sideline for a score less than two minutes into the game.
After picking up one first down on its initial possession of the contest, Piedmont was then forced to punt. The Cougars converted a first down on a fourth and one carry by Peter Lawson but decided to punt following a fourth and seven.
At this point, Piedmont’s defense took over, forcing Edmund Burke to go three-and-out on its next two drives. The Spartans also fumbled on their fourth possession of the first half with Tyler Cullum recovering.
After fumbling on their second series, the Cougars reached the endzone for the first time on their third drive on a six-yard run by Lawson. Farmer elected to go for the two-point conversion, but Piedmont was turned away and continued to trail 7-6 with 6:42 left before halftime.
The Cougars then took their first lead of the night on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Zach Benjamin to Nick Dimsdale with just under two minutes remaining before halftime. A two-point conversion pass to Lawson was successful for a 14-7 lead.
Edmund Burke attempted to answer before halftime moving from its own 33-yard line into Piedmont territory. The Spartans converted a fourth and five with 34 seconds left but would eventually run out of time as the half ended.
Piedmont set the tone for the rest of the night on its first series of the second half. The Cougars put together a 58-yard drive on eight plays capped by a one-yard run by Benjamin for a 20-7 lead. Edmund Burke had attempted an onside kick to start the second half but was unable to recover it.
The Spartans’ initial drive of the second half ended on a fumble recovery by Lawson.
Piedmont missed a 24-yard field on its next possession followed by Edmund Burke turning the football over on downs after failing to convert on a fourth and two from its own 46-yard line.
An 8-yard run by Lawson gave the Cougars some breathing room with 11:07 left in the game. Benjamin added the two-point conversion.
The Spartans weren’t ready to concede, however, and stormed down the field on a 72-yard drive in 10 plays, capped by a six-yard run with 7:29 left.
Another onside kick attempt by Edmund Burke failed and Piedmont would close the door on an 11-yard run by Lawson with 5:01 remaining.
Hank Strickland also had an interception late in the second half for the Cougars to help seal the victory.
“We had worked very hard all week,” Lawson said after the game. “There was a lot of emotion going into the game. It was the most physical game we’ve played all year. It was fun to play in.”
Benjamin agreed with his teammate about it being a tough contest.
“We got behind early, but we knew we just needed to settle down and make plays,” said Benjamin, who excels on offense and defense.
Dimsdale, who make several key runs from his fullback position, credited Edmund Burke with being a quality opponent.
“They are certainly a tough team, but we felt we were ready for them,” Dimsdale said.
While Farmer was pleased with the overall performance by his team Friday, it was the defense which may have been the key factor.
“Our defense kept us in the game,” Farmer said. “It put us in a position to win. Our defense was lights out except for one play. Their scoring drive in the second half was a little concerning, but I think we were tired. It was the first time our starters have had to go the entire way. Coach (Wes) Tanner and Coach (Josh) Daher did a great job of planning how we would defend everything they did. We have good personnel on defense, but we wanted to make sure we were all on the same page concerning all their formations.”
Farmer also was pleased that his team responded after falling behind early.
“Anytime you’ve won as many in a row as we have, you wonder how you will react to adversity,” Farmer said. “We continued to play hard and play without fear. We just went out and played our game. We dealt with the adversity well and played through it.”
Daniel Leinweber and Jakey Dunagan both stood out defensively in addition to their contributions on offense. Austin Corley, Seth Harvey, Gaven Edge, Justin Wilson and Lawson were also credited for their defensive efforts Friday night.
“It was a total team effort, especially on defense,” Farmer said. “Our front seven played as well as they have in a long time. Our secondary also played well.”
Tanner echoed Farmer’s thoughts on the play of the defense.
“I feel our defense played a very fundamental game and was very opportunistic,” said Tanner, who coordinates the defense. “They were up against a very stiff challenge and answered the bell. We felt because of our schedule, people were not giving our defense enough credit. We challenged them, they challenged themselves and stepped up and proved they can be a physical and solid unit in a big game.”
While the victory improved Piedmont to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in Region 1-AA, Farmer said his players need to remember it was simply “one game.”
“There is still a lot of football to play,” Farmer said. “Edmund Burke is a quality team but we can’t let this win be the highlight of our season. We have more that we want to accomplish so we can’t quit working.”
Piedmont is off this week and the bye comes at a great time, the head coach said.
“That was the most physical game I’ve seen in a long time,” Farmer said. “The timing for an off week couldn’t be better. We are just so banged up at this point.”
With school being out for fall break Thursday and Friday, the players are receiving those two days off as well as the weekend.
The Cougars return to the field next week when they travel to Robert Toombs Christian for a region contest.
NOTES: The Piedmont Academy coaches put in a ton of preparation time for the Edmund Burke contest. The coaches all met the Sunday prior to the game until 11 p.m. Sundays are traditionally a time for high school football coaches to meet, break down film of the upcoming opponent and begin formulating game plans.
Assistant coach Joel Sauls diagramed Edmund Burke’s defensive front once the game began Friday and relayed that information to defensive coordinator Wes Tanner and head coach Rhett Farmer.
Sauls also signals in the defensive calls to the players, which come from defensive coordinator Wes Tanner in the coach’s booth.
Assistant Bubba Nelson also watches the game from “up top” to relay information to the coaches on the sidelines.
Assistant Keith Mason reminded the players not to let up once they took more than a one-score advantage.
Piedmont has now won 20 consecutive games and has not lost since the 2009 season.
Captains for Friday’s game were Jakey Dunagan, Austin Corley, Seth Harvey and Justin Wilson.
Players of the game are Jakey Dunagan and Daniel Leinweber
STATS vs EDMUND BURKE
Offense
• Peter Lawson: 25 carries for 130 yards, 3 TDs, 1 reception for 2-point conversion
•Zach Benjamin: 13 carries for 56 yards, 1 TD, 3-of-6 passing for 39 yards and 1 TD, 3-yard 2-point conversion run
•Nick Dimsdale: 10 carries for 88 yards, 3 receptions for 39 yards and 1 TD
•Gaven Edge: 2 carries for 16 yards
•Hunter Clark: 3 carries for 10 yards
•Seth Harvey: 1-for-2 on PATs
Defense:
•Peter Lawson: 6 solos (1 for lost), 6 assists and 1 fumble recovery
•Hunter Clark: 1 assist
•Hank Strickland: 3 solos and one interception
•Nick Dimsdale: 2 solos (1 for loss) 3 assists
•Zach Benjamin: 3 solos and 2 assists
•Bobby Mitchell: 2 solos and 1 assist
•Hunter Knox: 1 interception, 1 assist and 2 pass break ups
•Gaven Edge: 4 solos , 5 assists and 1 fumble recovery
•Tyler Cullum: 1 solo and 1 pass break up
•Payden Cantera: 1 assist
•Daniel Leinweber: 2 solos and 8 assists
•Jakey Dunagan: 4 solos and 5 assists
•Austin Corley: 5 solos (1 for loss) and 6 assists
•Seth Harvey: 4 solos and 4 assists
•Justin Wilson: 2 solos and 4 assists