Tarman runs wild as Irish remain perfect in district
PIEDMONT — Luke Tarman took the snap, ran to his right and plunged toward the opening.
McGuinness' junior quarter back scored the game's first touchdown on a 5-yard carry, sparking the Class 5A No. 1 Fighting Irish offense in its 29-7 victory against No. 2 Piedmont on Friday at F&M Bank Field. Tarman rushed the ball with ease, continuing to find the weak spots in Piedmont' s stingy defense and create throughout the game.
The defense was also stellar, holding Piedmont's offense to its fewest amount of points since Week 1. Senior linebacker Bryn den Walker said McGuinness' scout team had a tremendous week of practice, helping the first team prepare.
“They gave us a really good look ,” Walker said. “An extremely good look in practice. Couldn't be more thankful for them.”
McGuinness star running back Dominic Richardson only played during the game's first series. A TCU commit, Richardson caught a forward pitch on a jet sweep to his right. After the 7- yard gain, he didn't get up quickly. Trainers and coaches were examining his left leg around his knee.
Coach Bryan Pierce said Richardson could've returned to the game, but they held him out as a precaution.
In a 34-10 victory against Piedmont in 2017, Richardson broke his right ankle i n the s eason f i nale. A Piedmont native, he was l ost f or t he remainder of the season. He returned in 2018 and continued to show he was one of the state's best running backs, and that success continued this season.
I n seven games t hus f ar, he had 76 carries with 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also caught seven passes for 130 yards and three scores.
Against Piedmont, he finished with the one reception and six carries for 30 yards.
After the switch, Tarman remained at quarterback i n the first half before moving to running back for most of the second half. His production didn't drop. He finished with 164 rushing yards on 25 carries with two touchdowns. He also completed 5-of-7 passes for 62 yards and a touchdown, a 39-yard toss to Aaron Beck. He said switching to running back wasn't difficult.
“We practice that during the week,” Tarman said. “I'll go to running back sometimes, so I knew where the holes were going to be.”
Piedmont's lone score came late in the fourth, when quarterback Dylan Gardner found a gap and sped 73 yards to the end zone.
Mc Guinness (7-1,5-0 District 5 A -2) is in control for the district title after its victory. The only team without a loss, it faces No. 3 Carl Albert in Week 10. Piedmont defeated Carl Albert 10-6 in Week 5. Piedmont and Carl Albert each have one district loss.
Pierce said it's important for his team to not look ahead to its Week 10 contest and focus on Guthrie. Walker echoed his sentiments.
“That's our big things right now, not getting complacent,” Walker said. “It's just going in, going 1-0 every single week. That's our biggest goal.”