By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
Piedmont kicks off the 2019 season tonight against Canadian County Rival El Reno at F&M Bank Stadium.
It will be the first time the Wildcats take the field under new coach Jeff Hall, who takes over at Piedmont after spending the past two seasons as Class 6A Yukon’s offensive coordinator under Jeremy Reed. Hall brings with him a new staff and a new offensive mentality, including the flex-bone scheme his players have been learning since spring practice.
The Cats have lost the last two meetings to the Indians, including a 33-27 loss last year on the road. Piedmont’s last win in the series was 2016, a 30-15 victory at Memorial Stadium.
Piedmont’s first look at the flex-bone will feature senior Dylan Hampton at quarterback with seniors Davontae Pickard and Bo Hardy at the halfback spots. Hampton totaled over 1,700 yards on the ground and through the air last season while Pickard and Hardy combined to rush for nearly 500 yards. Seniors Colby Matlock, Mason Teeter and Zaire Bartee and junior Decata Warrior will rotate at the slot-back positions. Hall also mentioned you could see junior Bo Phelps or even freshman Noah Smith get snaps at quarterback.
“Having depth at quarterback opens up the playbook,” Hall said. “Some of the quarterback run game is too good not to keep in your package. It helps knowing that there are valuable people there.”
The Wildcat defense will come out in a 4-2-5 base, but Hall says it sometimes looks like 4-3. Watch out for Hardy and senior Bryce Digiacento at linebacker. Hall says Hardy will be a big part of the defense and that Digiacento has been a bright spot during the spring and summer considering he hasn’t played football the last three seasons.
Hall says El Reno (1-0) is “very athletic” and will come out with a spread offense. Indians quarterback Dorian Plumley rushed 21 times for 125 yards and a touchdown in the team’s season-opening 20-13 win over Poteau. Plumley also passed for 185 yards, including six completions to Cash Crawford for 43 yards and three to Ganna Nicholson for 42 yards and a score.
The Indians defense is based out of the 3-4, but Hall says teams rarely stay in their base packages against the flex-bone, making changes for the hard nosed rushing attack.
“They have a bunch of guys who can run,” Hall said. “We’re looking at going into the game wanting to be crisp offensively and to fly around defensively.
“This game has turned into a rivalry, especially with some of the other rivalry games dying off because of district changes or class changes. Ultimately the first three games don’t have any district implications, but any time you you go out, you without a doubt want to win.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
