By Blake Colston
Sports Editor
ELGIN – As the saying goes, it’s not about what’s on the line, it’s about who owns the line.
Friday night, the Elgin Owls, fourth-ranked and unbeaten, controlled the line of scrimmage from start to finish while fending off a feisty Piedmont squad 20-0 in an opening round Class 5A playoff matchup at Elgin High School.
The Owls held Piedmont’s flexbone offense to less than four yards per carry while churning out almost seven yards per snap on offense to win for the 11th straight time.
The Owls set the tone early with a pair of first quarter touchdown runs, the first from star running back Matthew Lund on a 3-yard carry that capped a 62-yard scoring march. Later, Ritsen Meyer sprinted 14 yards to the end zone to stake top-seeded Elgin (11-0) to a two-score lead.
That was more than enough for the Owls, who relied on a stingy, physical defense the rest of the way.
Elgin tacked on to its advantage in the third quarter with a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tres Lorah to receiver Michael Adesola that put the Owls in front 20-0 at the 3:50 mark of the third quarter.
Piedmont’s offense, which was stifled for four quarters, finally broke into the red zone in the final minute of regulation, but time ran out on the Wildcats before they could score.
Elgin outgained the Wildcats on the ground 192-169 and 86-65 through the air.
Lund finished with 131 yards on 18 carries to push his season total above the 1,700-yard mark.
The 20-0 loss marked the first time Piedmont had been shutout since an 18-0 setback against Bishop McGuinness in 2021.
It was the ninth time this season that Elgin held its opponent to seven points or less. With the win, the Owls advance to take on Claremore in the quarterfinals next week.
The loss marked Piedmont’s final game as a member of Class 5A. The Wildcats will make the jump to 6A-2 competition next fall and will do so without a number of talented seniors.
Running back Cannon Wood, quarterback Josh Mars, lineman Talan Owen and linebacker Brogan Hardy all played their final games for Piedmont.
First Quarter
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