Sports EditorPiedmont head coach Jeff Hall likened Piedmont’s performance on offense against Midwest City to playing a good game of chess.
Piedmont made all the right moves on its way to routing the No. 1 seed Bombers, 60-41.
PHS ran over, around and right up the middle of Midwest City’s defense as offensive coordinator Aaron Dillard stayed a step ahead of the opposition all night.
“We countered their adjustments and the kids did an excellent job of executing everything we called,” Hall said. “We had an answer for everything they tried.”
Piedmont had four different players score touchdowns and totaled more than 550 yards rushing, led by Cannon Wood’s 200-yard performance that included two touchdowns and a team-high 21 tackles on defense.
The ‘Cats’ next chess match is Friday night at seventh-ranked McAlester, with a berth to the state semifinals on the line at Hook Eales Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Piedmont is seeking its second trip to the ‘Final 4’ since 2019 and, with two more wins, its first-ever appearance in the championship game, but the ‘Cats focus is squarely on the Buffs this week.
“It’s definitely one game at a time. Logistically, you have to plan ahead as a head coach just to have a plan ready for the next week,” Hall said, noting that preparing for a potential Thanksgiving Day practice is on his to-do list. “But football-wise we’re focused on McAlester 100% because if we don’t get by them, none of the other stuff matters.”
McAlester (9-2) is led by University of Oklahoma commit Erik McCarty, who stars on both sides of the ball for MHS, but he’s far from a one-man show.
“They’re a well-coached team that’s solid up front and has good overall athletic ability,” Hall said.
The Buffaloes on Friday won at Collinsville 27-14 to advance, and they did so with the help of a Piedmont native. Chaz Bradley sealed the game with a 98-yard interception return for a touchdown. Bradley played at Piedmont then transferred to Yukon before landing at McAlester.
“He’s the real deal,” Hall said. “He can really run.”
It’s nothing the Wildcats haven’t seen before, though. Piedmont is as battle-tested as any team still alive. District opponents Carl Albert, Guthrie and Bishop McGuinness all won going away in the opening round the playoffs. PHS went 0-3 against that trio, but never lost confidence.
“We play in, by far, the best district in 5A football,” Piedmont junior quarterback Josh Mars said. “We played the two best teams in that district the last two weeks. Then we had to go to a one-seed that I felt like we could take care of and we did.”
Hall agreed with his quarterback and said he expects the Wildcats defense to make some subtle adjustments after allowing 41 points last week.
“We fit and played well last week, but the score wasn’t indicative of that. There were some times we didn’t tackle well and kudos to that quarterback. He’s a good player,” Hall said.
WILDCATS TO WATCH
Cannon Wood, Running Back
Piedmont’s offense is at its best when Wood and Israel Robles are delivering body blows to opposing defenses. They both broke free for long touchdown runs last week while also providing a good dose of modest gains that took their toll. The backfield duo will need to shine again vs. McAlester.
Cale Coffman, Defensive End
Coffman has stepped up his game late in the season to give Piedmont another physical presence on the edge. His play will be important this week as Piedmont wrestles to control the line of scrimmage.
