By Blake Colston
Sports Editor
As Piedmont heads into its matchup with Carl Albert tonight in Midwest City, the Wildcats are uniquely suited to upset the Class 5A blueblood.
Only one Class 5A team has a win over Carl Albert since 2016 and it’s Piedmont’s 10-6 win over the top-ranked Titans in 2019.
“We still talk about that quite a bit,” Piedmont head coach Jeff Hall said. “It was one of several big wins that season.”
Hall said that the blueprint from the 2019 game still applies, even if most of the players from that team have graduated.
Piedmont limited Carl Albert’s offense to seven first-half plays and controlled the time of possession in the 2019 game. The Wildcats tackled well in space and forced critical turnovers, too.
“We played almost flawlessly,” Hall said. “It helped set the tone for my time here.”
Piedmont’s flexbone offense has the potential to control time of possession again, but the Wildcats have to avoid penalties, long-yardage situations and costly fumbles that have plagued them some this season.
“We want to stay ahead of the chains and work to have as many third-and-short plays as possible,” Hall said.
Defensively, Piedmont has to limit big plays. Bryson Pais returns at corner to solidify the secondary, which comes at a good time. Carl Albert quarterback Reed DeQuasie only threw 11 passes last week at McGuinness, but averaged 22 yards per completion.
The fourth-ranked Titans (4-2, 3-0) started the season 0-2, but rallied for a crucial district win at Guthrie two weeks ago and won an overtime thriller over the Irish, 35-34, last week.
“They just don’t make mistakes,” Hall said of the Titans. “They’re really well-coached.”
Piedmont is in the hunt for a playoff berth, but will likely need to fend off Lawton Ike and Woodward for the fourth spot in 5A-2. A win over Carl Albert would be a huge step toward that goal.
“Any district game is always ultra-important, but with Carl Albert on pace to win the district, beating them would be a big step in the right direction,” Hall said.
Anglin out, next men up
Piedmont will be without starting running back Jacob Anglin for the next few weeks as he recovers from an injury suffered against Guymon.
“We’re going to miss him. It’s hard to replace that guy, but it’s definitely next man up mentality,” Hall said.
Hall said Lane Whitworth and Jayden Fuston will replace Anglin.
