Piedmont Team Preview

<em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em> Stay tuned to Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day as we release more individual team previews as we get closer to the start of the 2021 football season. In case you missed it, you can check out our Preseason Rankings <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/06/2021-preseason-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>RIGHT HERE</strong></a>. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Overview</b></span> This time a year ago, the <strong>Piedmont Wildcats</strong> were coming off a year in which they made their first ever trip to the semifinals and brought some momentum into the 2020 season. Things didn't go as planned as Carl Albert remained the kings of Class 5A and Piedmont also had a couple Covid-related interruptions that had them finishing the season at 5-4 and losing in the second round of the playoffs. Piedmont had three of their regular season games get cancelled and all three ended up being district games. After starting the year 2-1 on the year, Piedmont would only play four games in the following seven weeks and entered the playoffs after a start and stop regular season. Despite handling El Reno in the regular season, the Wildcats were blown out by the Indians in the second round of the playoffs and just like that, their season came to an end. Now, as we head into a new season, Piedmont looks to regroup and continue moving forward like we've seen from them the last two seasons. We'll get into this a little more in our "Notable" section but Piedmont is having arguably the most success they've ever had right now. They'll have a ton of new faces this year however, as they bring back six starters on offense and another four starters on defense. With Piedmont running the flexbone option offense, the quarterback position and the guys in the backfield will certainly be important as the Wildcats will have a new QB under center. Bringing him along and getting him ready for September will be very important. The schedule will once again be tough for the Wildcats as the non-district schedule will test them before they go into a district that has been controlled by five-time defending champion Carl Albert and their main rival Bishop McGuinness. Piedmont got into that conversation back in 2019 when they stunned the Titans and ended their winning streak. They'll attempt to do that once again going into a new season. 6 Starters Offense 4 Starters Defense <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>2020 Results (5-4 Record - Lost In Class 5A 2nd Round)</strong></span> <strong>Sept. 4 -</strong> Beat El Reno 31-7 <strong>Sept. 11 -</strong> Lost To Putnam City North 39-3 <strong>Sept. 18 -</strong> Beat Noble 29-20 <strong>Sept. 25 -</strong> Game VS Guthrie Cancelled <strong>Oct. 2 -</strong> Beat Guymon 57-0 <strong>Oct. 9 -</strong> Game VS Western Heights Cancelled <strong>Oct. 15 -</strong> Lost To Carl Albert 42-7 <strong>Oct. 23 -</strong> Lost To Bishop McGuinness 33-14 <strong>Oct. 30 -</strong> Game VS Lawton Eisenhower Cancelled <strong>Nov. 6 -</strong> Beat Woodward 35-7 <strong>1st Round -</strong> Beat Noble 35-14 <strong>2nd Round -</strong> Lost To El Reno 41-14 <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Players To Watch</strong></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="38738" first="James" last="Maguire"] - 2022 Athlete</strong> We simply list Piedmont senior [player_tooltip player_id="38738" first="James" last="Maguire"] as an athlete because he can line up all over the field and end up making plays. Whether it’s on offense or defense, Maguire has made an impact on this Piedmont team for the last couple seasons and now he’ll be one of the main leaders on this year’s team. As far as his future goes, Maguire will more than likely be on the defensive side of the ball and free to cause havoc as a defensive lineman. He has the versatility and the size and strength to be moved around and play on the edge or more on the interior as a defensive tackle. <strong>Joshua Mars - 2024 Quarterback</strong> This one will certainly be an important player to watch as Joshua Mars steps into his older brother’s shoes as QB1 of the Wildcats. Mars’ older brother Joey ran the Piedmont offense a year ago and now it will be Joshua’s turn as the sophomore is ready to take over this flexbone option attack. We bring it up all the time but anytime you have an option team like Piedmont, whoever that quarterback will be is an important part of the equation. It’s certainly helpful if you have experience returning at that position but this is the next best thing as Piedmont has another Mars lining up behind center. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>More Names</strong></span> <strong>Cannon Woods - 2024 Linebacker</strong> <strong>Cole Riggs - 2022 Wide Receiver</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="61146" first="Glendon" last="Barnes"] - 2022 Offensive Lineman</strong> <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Notable</strong></span> After making that semifinal run in 2019, Piedmont took somewhat of a step back in 2020, finishing 5-4 and losing in the second round of the playoffs. However, Piedmont is no doubt building something special right now and they are becoming a consistent team in Class 5A that you have to worry about. Before 2019, Piedmont hadn’t won a playoff game since 2005. In fact, before that semifinal run, they had two TOTAL playoff victories and in the last two years alone they’ve had three playoff wins. Piedmont is certainly in one of the tougher districts in Class 5A with district foes Carl Albert and Bishop McGuinness regularly making trips to the state championship game. So you have to buy into the phrase "iron sharpens iron" at least in this regard because despite those two teams being the top dogs in Class 5A, Piedmont has taken their game to the next level as well. The Wildcats are building something that we should keep an eye on because this district has been a two-team race for the majority of the last six years. You have to have Piedmont at least in the conversation to potentially surprise one of those teams. <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>2021 Schedule/Games To Watch</strong></span> <strong>Sept. 3 - AT El Reno</strong> - This one is a no brainer as Piedmont got El Reno twice last season and the results got flipped. In the regular season, Piedmont dominated El Reno in a 31-7 victory. The Indians were without their star quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="38688" first="Dorian" last="Plumley"] and they suffered because of it. In the second round of the playoffs, they met again and El Reno dominated when it counted most, winning 41-14. Piedmont will not only be hungry to start their season, but they get another shot at the team that ended their season. Both teams expect to be playoff teams and this could be the first of two match-up’s once again. Sept. 10 - Putnam City North Sept. 17 - AT Noble <strong>Sept. 24 - Guthrie</strong> - The Covid pandemic made the 2020 season incredibly strange with games getting cancelled and postponed in the blink of an eye. For Piedmont, they pulled up to Guthrie on a Friday evening last season and had to turn right around and head home as the game was cancelled just hours before it was scheduled to kick off. So Piedmont will once again be ready to get a crack at a Guthrie team that has high expectations this year, as they’re one of our ranked teams in the preseason rankings. However, this game will also carry a lot of weight towards playoff seeding even though it’s just week four. Oct. 1 - Guymon Oct. 8 - AT Western Heights Oct. 14 - AT Carl Albert Oct. 22 - Bishop McGuinness Oct. 29 - AT Lawton Eisenhower Nov. 5 - Woodward <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Championship History</strong></span> <em><strong>0 State Championships</strong></em>