By Blake Colston
Sports Editor
To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man.
That will be the challenge and opportunity ahead of unranked Piedmont (4-1, 1-0) Thursday as unbeaten and fifth-ranked Guthrie (4-0) comes to F&M Bank Stadium for a critical game early in District 5A-2 play. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Piedmont hammered Southeast 63-32 last week for its fourth straight win, but will face a different kind of opposition in four-time state champion Guthrie.
“They’re really well-coached and their kids believe in what they’re doing,” Piedmont head coach Jeff Hall said. “You can tell they play with a certain amount of confidence and swagger and that’s definitely the mark of a tradition-rich program.”
Guthrie leads the overall series 9-2, but Piedmont has beaten the Blue Jays twice since 2016 after losing the six previous matchups by 16 points or more. That sort of improvement is something to celebrate, but is usually a necessity for postseason positioning in 5A-2, and probably will be again this season.
“I think in our district, if you don’t win games against teams like that, it’s hard to make the playoffs. You have to run that gauntlet,” Hall said.
Guthrie had a bye last week, which provided the Blue Jays some extra time to prepare for Piedmont’s flexbone offense.
“I definitely think it’s an advantage,” Hall said of Guthrie’s extra time to prepare. “But what we do is unique enough that I don’t think we need to change much. We just need to execute and take care of the ball.”
In its last game, Guthrie squeaked by Class 4A power Tuttle, 24-20. Blue Jays’ quarterback Hayden Calvert is a good passer, but GHS still leans heavily on its rushing attack to sustain drives. With the Wildcats also heavily reliant on their ground game, the battle along the line of scrimmage will, as always, be a key.
“We’ve got to stop the run. Their quarterback is a good player and can throw well, but our number one goal is to stop the run,” Hall said. “Offensively, for us, it’s all about execution.”
Lately, execution has not been an issue for PHS. In its last two games, Piedmont has run for more than 800 yards and scored 114 points as running backs Israel Robles, Cannon Wood and Jayden Fuston have run wild behind a quickly-improving offensive line. The Wildcats last week frustrated Southeast’s defense, leading to multiple late hits or unsportsmanlike calls against the Spartans.
“Playing physical up front is what makes us go and we took a big step last week,” Hall said.
The Wildcats offensive line isn’t physically overwhelming, but they’re slimmer and more athletic than most of the defensive linemen they face. Left tackle Jacob Cardwell is 190 pounds, center Marshall Wolverton weighs 190 and right tackle Zach Thompson is 225 pounds. John Whetter has prototypical size at left guard – he is 290 pounds. Right guard Ty Bohuslavicky checks in at 240.
“They’re not your prototypical big offensive lineman, but they’re athletic and can really move,” Hall said.
WILDCAT TO WATCH: Talan Owen
Owen has been a monster along Piedmont’s defensive line and he’ll need to continue his strong play tonight against the Blue Jays. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive end has been a stalwart rushing the passer and defending the run for PHS and the defensive line’s play, led by Owen, will be crucial against Guthrie.
QUOTABLE: Piedmont remains unranked in Class 5A, despite four consecutive wins in resounding fashion. Hall said that is of little importance, though, compared to the district standings, which decide the playoff bracket.
“We don’t even know what the rankings are right now,” Hall said, “but it’s not bad to be under the radar.”
