By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
WEATHERFORD – Piedmont entered Week 2 looking to take strides offensively.
The Wildcats (1-1) showed plenty of the improvement coach Hall wanted to see, racking up 316 rushing yards in a 28-25 win over Class 4A Weatherford (1-1) Friday night at Woody Roof Field.
Piedmont’s offense looked much more like Hall and his staff had envisioned compared to their season-opening loss to El Reno. The Cats sustained drives, popped off big plays and most importantly controlled the clock.
“I think this week we made some strides in some areas,” Hall said after the win. “Our issue the first week came down to simple execution. We weren’t perfect tonight by any means, but we executed better. It’s just going to get better as we get more comfortable in the system.”
Piedmont’s ability to control time of possession paid off on its final drive. Leading 28-25, the Cats started from their own 16-yard line and with nine plays drained the final 3:03 remaining to seal the win.
“This offense is built to do that,” Hall said of the flex-bone scheme his team runs. “We had to prove to our kids and ourselves that in those situations, we’re going to be able to take care of business.”
Davontae Pickard led the Wildcats’ rushing attack with 189 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns. His first score, a two-yard punch-in, tied the game at 7-7. His second, a 46-yard breakaway dash, gave the team a 14-7 lead going into halftime.
“He had a huge night,” Hall said of Pickard. “He has the ability to make big plays in this offense. He can grind out yards and break off huge chunks. He showed that tonight.”
The Cats still had early season miscues.
Piedmont fumbled three times, all three leading to Weatherford touchdowns. The first came off a Colby Matlock fumble and led to a 43-yard drive, capped by a one-yard run by quarterback Jaxon Ratterree. The second came off a Mason Teeter fumble and led to a 20-yard drive, capped by a pass from Ratterree to Michael Mayfield. The third came off a mishandled hold on a a 26-yard field goal attempt, leading a 79-yard drive capped by a 22-yard pass from Ratterree to Malachi Johnson.
“It was a good win, but we showed some weaknesses in some areas,” Hall said, speaking of missed tackles, penalties and turnovers. The Cats were also penalized 13 times. “It’s also another week that we can grow and get better from those mistakes.”
Quarterback Dylan Hampton helped carry Piedmont through its turnovers and mistakes down the stretch. He rushed for 50 yards in the second half, including a 12-yard touchdown to give the Cats a 21-13 lead late in the third quarter.
“His biggest attribute is he’s a leader and the kids selected him as a captain,” Hall said of Hampton. “But man he’s just now learning to run behind his pads. He has a huge upside when he figures that out completely. He did a much better job of it this week, especially late.”
The Cats drained over five minutes off the clock prior to Weatherford’s final scoring drive. James Maguire finished off a 10-play drive with a three-yard touchdown run for a 28-19 lead. Piedmont held on to the ball for over nine minutes in the fourth quarter.
“Without a doubt it was huge” Hall said of keeping the ball out of the Eagles’ hands. “And that’s going to be a part of the game plan every week. We’re going to make sure that we control the time of possession and play on our terms.”
Piedmont held Weatherford to just 251 yards and forced two turnovers, including the muffed punt return and an interception by Decata Warrior. The Cats turned in 386 total yards.
The Wildcats finish off the non-district slate this week against Noble before opening district play next week at Guthrie.
