Piedmont wins playoff opener, avenges September loss

EL RENO—The Jeff Hall era didn't begin the way Piedmont hoped back in September.

The Wildcats fell to El Reno in his first game as their coach.

But the tough times didn' t last long for Piedmont. And on Friday night, the Wildcats got their revenge.

Piedmont defeated El Reno 24-21 in the first round of the Class 5 A playoffs, advancing to play Coweta (6-5).

Piedmont (9-2), which runs the triple-option flexbone offense, predictably leaned on its rushing attack to move the ball. Senior running back Devontae Pick ardw as Piedmont's main threat, carrying the ball 25 times for 140 yards.

The Wildcats lost two fumbles, but they played a relatively clean game.

“The mark of a good team is that one side of the ball picks the other side of the ball up, and I felt like we did that tonight,” Hall said.

El Reno quarterback Dorian Plum leyh ada terrific game rushing the ball. He had 25 carries for 205 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

However, Plum ley struggled through the air. He completed just 1 of 9 passes for nine yards, and his first throw of the game was intercepted.

Piedmont has several players who can contribute in the ground game. Pickard is the main tailback, but t he Wildcats also have quarter back Dylan Hampton and running backs Col by Matlock and Zaire Bartee to help them methodically wear down opposing defenses.

Ca den Hen dr en is another weapon for the Wildcats. In the first quarter, he r et urned a punt 66 yards for a score, and Piedmont took a 14-0 lead. It was an important touchdown for the Wildcats because t hey tend to struggle if they don't get off to a good start.

Piedmont never trailed in the game. Although El Reno (8-3) repeatedly threatened to take the lead, Piedmont seemed to make the right plays at the right time.

With the victory, Piedmont extended its win streak to three games.

Hall is optimistic his team can make a deep run in the playoffs.

“We' re relatively healthy, so that's a big part of it, especially at this time of year,” he said.

[SARAH PHIPPS/ THE OKLAHOMAN] Piedmont celebrates with Caden Hendren (8) after his punt return for touchdown against El Reno in a 24-21 firstround playoff win Friday.

[SARAH PHIPPS/ THE OKLAHOMAN] Piedmont's Doran Hillman (5) celebrates his touchdown with Kameron West next to El Reno's Luke Claborn during a 24-21 win Friday.