November 20, 2021
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
Piedmont plays one of its most complete games of the season, reaches semifinals for seventh straight year
PIEDMONT — Post-season experience won’t make any plays on the field, but it can make all the difference when it comes to feeling comfortable in a big game.
Piedmont put its substantial postseason experience to good use Friday night, riding its comfort wave to a 43-14 win over previously unbeaten Winfield in the Class 3A playoffs that coach Steve Smith called one of the team’s most complete games of the year.
The Bulldogs (11-2) advance to play region rival Saks (12-1) on the road Friday for a spot in the Dec. 3 state championship game at Birmingham’s new Protective Stadium. Piedmont beat the Wildcats in their regular-season meeting, but Saks hasn’t lost since.
It’s the seventh year in a row Calhoun County has had at least one team make the state semifinals and the fourth time since 2016 two county teams will play each other for a berth in the title game.
This will be Piedmont’s seventh straight year making it to at least the semifinals. Its current seniors are now 15-2 in postseason play, having played more games quarterfinal round or later coming in than their opponent had played in the playoffs period. Winfield’s seniors came into the game 4-3 in the playoffs.
“That has to play in to account for something, that experience,” Smith said. “The experience itself didn’t make any plays on the field tonight, but for our guys, I don’t think the moment was too big for them because they’ve been there in plenty of games like this before.”
“It’s nothing but another game to us,” said quarterback Jack Hayes, who accounted for all six of Piedmont’s touchdowns. “I would say our experience is what really helped us today.”
The Bulldogs weren’t intimidated by the gaudy numbers Winfield had posted this season. The Pirates, now 12-1, had scored 40 points or more in each of their previous 10 games — 50-plus six times – and outscored their first 12 opponents 549-84.
But Piedmont torched them for more points than they had given up in their previous five games combined and held their offense to two long touchdown runs.
With less than three minutes left in the third quarter the Pirates had only 173 net yards and 116 of them came on the two touchdown runs.
“We played a complete game tonight,” Smith said. “That’s probably as well as we played all year long and I’m very proud of our guys for that. [**read more]
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