Cougars Fall to Mt. Pisgah

Piedmont Academy head football coach Danny Camp knows he was playing a fellow undefeated team last Saturday.

The coach also knows that Mt. Pisgah is a larger, Class AAA school.

Yet, Camp, and his players, couldn’t help but wonder just what might have been after Saturday’s 28-7 loss, the first setback of the 2005 season for the Cougars (4-1 overall).

Piedmont certainly did not play its best game of the season, but still competed with Class AAA Mt. Pisgah.

“It was a better game that the score indicates,” Camp said. “It was certainly not our best effort of the season and was probably our worst job of open-field tackling. It was not fun losing. Our players are getting to the point where they expect to win, so losing is not something that was enjoyable.”

Piedmont took the game’s opening possession and marched into scoring position. After the drive stalled, Chris Brunton just missed on a field goal attempt.

After the Cougar defense held Mt. Pisgah to three plays and out, Piedmont took a 7-0 lead on a scoring run by Patrick Simoes.
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Mt. Pisgah responded with two touchdowns in the second quarter to lead 14-7 at halftime.

Camp said the coaches stressed to the players the importance of stopping Mt. Pisgah on its first series of the third quarter which the Piedmont defense was able to do.

However, the Cougars could not generate the tying score and eventually Mt. Pisgah would move in front 21-7. A final late score made the final count 28-7.

Piedmont’s chances were hurt by three lost fumbles, an interception and two bad snaps, Camp said.

Lance Richardson was the leading rusher for the Cougars with 91 yards on 18 carries. Overall, Piedmont ran the football 49 times for 198 yards.
“Mt. Pisgah has a good football team,” the Cougar coach said. “However, I don’t think they are 21 points better than us. Still we have to find a way to put it behind us.”

Camp knows he and his team can’t dwell on the loss long before Trinity, the defending Class AA state champion, pays a visit to Cougar Field this Friday.

The Crusaders enter this week’s game at 3-2 overall having recorded wins against Briarwood, Edmund Burke and Central Fellowship. Trinity has lost to AAA foe John Milledge this season and to Pinewood.

“Trinity lost several big-time players from last year’s championship team,” Camp said. “However, they are still going to be very tough. We will need to learn from our mistakes last week. The coaches understand the team is going to make some mistakes, but we have to learn from those mistakes in order to get better.”

Friday’s game, which is also Homecoming, will begin at 7:30 p.m. An elementary school football game between Piedmont and Trinity will also be played at 5 p.m.