Cougars Improve to 2-0

Football coaches will often say they see the most improvement from their team from week one to week two of a season.

Piedmont Academy coach Rhett Farmer said he saw plenty of improvement from his Cougars last Friday as they opened their home schedule with a 27-13 victory against Class AAA Griffin Christian.
Another strong offensive performance helped Piedmont improve to 2-0 in 2010 with a road game looming against Briarwood this Friday.

“Friday was a big win for us, there’s no doubt about it,” Farmer said. “I am extremely proud of the entire team. Several people made big plays on offense and defense. It’s very encouraging when everyone contributes. The performance was very satisfying and I am happy for our players.”

Blake Hammock had another big night with 140 yards on the ground and a touchdown. He was the workhouse for the game with 27 carries.
Quarterback Alex Hall was 5-of-10 passing for 111 yards. Hall also rushed for 38 yards on 10 attempts and scored three touchdowns.
Dakota Collins added 42 yards on nine carries and also caught a 20-yard pass. Dylan Collins had two receptions for 58 yards.
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“We challenged the players all week,” Farmer said. “We wanted them to play together as a team. We saw significant improvement from the first game.”

The Cougar players and coaches went back to work this week in preparation for Briarwood.

“Everything we’ve heard about them says they are very sound defensively,” Farmer said. “They gave up some points last week to a good Brentwood team but the week before held a good Edmund Burke team to seven points.”

The Buccaneers run a Wing-T based offense relying on jet sweeps and power plays.

“It will probably be a very physical game,” Farmer said. “We can’t take them lightly. If we do, then we are going to get beat.”
While still early in the 2010 season, Piedmont is suffering from some nagging injuries at spots, the coach said.

“They are mostly up front although it’s nothing alarming,” Farmer said. “We are 100 percent in a couple of spots. We are looking to get more work in one area this week.” Kickoff Friday is set for 7:30 p.m.

Stats vs. Griffin Christian
Offensive Stats

Blake Hammock: 27 carries for 140 yards and 1 TD
Alex Hall: 10 carries for 38 yards and 3 TDs, 5-of-10 passing for 111 yards
Peter Lawson: 3 carries for 13 yards
Dakota Collins: 9 carries for 42 yards; 1 reception for 20 yards
Dylan Collins: 2 receptions for 58 yards
Sam Cleary: 1 reception for 33 yards, 1 for 2 on PATs
Defensive Stats

Peter Lawson: 6 assists, 2 solos – 1 for loss
Alex Hall: 2 solos
Blake Hammock: 2 assists and 1 solo
Nick Dimsdale: 1 solo
Zach Benjamin: 1 solo, 4 assists and 1 pass break up
Dylan Collins: 3 assists and 1 solo
Rhett Roberts: 3 assists and 4 solos
Sam Cleary: 3 solos
Tyler Cullum: 1 interception, 4 assists and 2 pass break ups
Dakota Collins: 5 assists, 3 solos – 1 for loss
Josh Brenan: 1 solo
Jakey Dungagan: 1 solo and 2 assists
Austin Corley: 1 assist and 1 solo
Seth Harvey: 2 assists
Justin Wilson: 1 assist
Willy Roberts: 1 assist and 1 solo
Players of the Week:
Alex Hall: Offense
Tyler Cullum: Defense
Dylan Collins: Offensive Line