ItÐÔÊӽ紫ý Thanksgiving, and I’m thankful for the past 15 weeks of fantastic high school football action we’ve had, but I’m also sad to see the season coming to an end.
The Piedmont Bulldogs (13-0) are the areaÐÔÊӽ紫ý only hope now for winning a state championship (and defending one at that). To punch their ticket to Auburn, the Class 3A Bulldogs will have to defeat Calhoun County and region rival Ohatchee (12-1) on Friday at the Field of Champions.
The two teams had a classic battle back on the Creekbank on Oct. 14, with the Bulldogs earning a hard-fought 45-35 victory. I think we’re in store for a similar, if not closer, matchup this go-around.
In their first meeting this season, Piedmont built a 28-14 lead at halftime lead, only to see the Indians storm back to cut the score to 38-35 with 4:41 left on the clock. The game hinged on a fourth-and-3 for the Bulldogs near midfield with three minutes to go.
Instead of punting, Piedmont head coach Steve Smith rolled the dice and went for the first down. Senior quarterback Taylor Hayes kept the drive going with his first-down run, and eventually led the Bulldogs to another touchdown to secure the victory.
That night, Hayes finished with 205 yards and four touchdowns on 31 carries. He also completed 7-of-10 pass attempts for 88 yards.
Clutch performances like those are what the Bulldogs have been accustomed to having this season, and Hayes always seems to be the catalyst for them. HeÐÔÊӽ紫ý invaluable to the Bulldogs, not only for his athleticism, but he also exudes confidence, and that trickles down to the rest of his teammates.
The only comparison I can make with Hayes is former University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. With Hayes at the helm, no situation is too big for the Bulldogs to overcome.
I know Ohatchee has its own great signal-caller in Austin Eubanks, but I like Hayes and the Bulldogs to earn their chance at defending their state title …
Piedmont 35, Ohatchee 31.
*
HereÐÔÊӽ紫ý an update on Cherokee County High School junior quarterback Tyren Dupree.
Dupree suffered a broken ankle with 8:24 left in the third quarter of the Warriors’ season-ending 28-21 loss to Hokes Bluff on Friday. He had surgery for two broken bones Saturday morning and is now on the road to recovery.
Dupree finished the season rushing for 1,351 yards and 20 touchdowns on 196 carries. He also completed 117-of-193 pass attempts for 1,612 yards and 16 touchdowns in guiding the Warriors to a 10-3 season.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.