Piedmont Practice Report

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's week one and the 2023 football season really gets kicked off this week as nearly every school will be in action. Two schools that were in action last week and will square off this week are #5 Piedmont and #9 El Reno. Both teams rolled to week zero victories and both looked very impressive in the process. In this post, we're taking a deeper look at Piedmont as they head into this week. The Wildcats had high expectations coming into this season and they flexed their muscles in week zero but El Reno will certainly provide a more difficult test. We look at the Wildcats, the recent history with El Reno and five Piedmont players to watch heading into this week's game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last week, both teams were absolutely dominant in their season openers. El Reno jumped out on Chickasha early and often while Piedmont dominated Noble from start to finish. Both teams were headlined by high-scoring offenses that dominated in the ground game. Piedmont racked up over 500 yards on the ground as a team, which is no surprise for those following Piedmont's flexbone attack over the last several seasons. And on the other side, the Indians were led by their star running back, who had over 300 yards in their season opener. They also had a freshman running back who found the end zone several times. We can't wait to see what these two dominating running teams do for an encore this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>El Reno and Piedmont have been consistent non-district opponents over the last decade and we've even seen them meet up in the playoffs. The Wildcats dominated last year's 42-8 victory over El Reno. The Indians last won in 2020 during the playoffs when they ended Piedmont's season with a 41-14 victory after losing in the regular season earlier in the year. It's not even September yet, but when we look at the Class 5A landscape right now, both of these teams looked primed for playoff appearances and they could win a game or two when they get there. It won't surprise us at all if these two end up matching up in the first round of the playoffs when November rolls around. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["584540"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"While the headline in Piedmont's 52-26 victory over Noble was the offense totaling 500 yards on the ground, the Piedmont defense also was stout from start to finish. And there is no doubt that senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='584540' first='Brogan' last='Hardy'] is one of the leaders of this defense. Hardy was a very experienced player coming into this senior season and has kicked off his senior year with a stout performance last week. He finished the game with 18 tackles and a tackle for a loss. Of his 18 tackles, 10 of those were solo tackles as Hardy continues to be a tackling machine week in and week out. Hardy was a Preseason All State 1st Team selection at linebacker this year and was one of the state's leaders in tackles a season ago. Hardy is going to be critical this week to slowing down El Reno's rushing attack.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["215197"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Just like Hardy, senior [player_tooltip player_id='215197' first='Cannon' last='Wood'] was also a Preseason All State 1st Team selection but his spot was as an athlete because of what he brings to the table as a running back and a linebacker. Last season, he was one of the top two-way players in the state and he picked up right where he left off in the win over Noble. Wood finished with just over 114 yards on the ground and four touchdowns on just ten carries. He turned around and finished with 12 tackles and a forced fumble on the defensive side of the ball. It doesn't matter if Wood is on offense or defense, he is going to make a play and he's going to consistently be one of the best players on the football field at all times. His highlight last week was a 60-yard touchdown run and multiple big hits on the defensive side of the ball.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["396890"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"We mentioned this back in July during the Piedmont Team Preview but anytime you're talking about a team that runs the flexbone offense, the quarterback position is so critical to their success. And having a senior like [player_tooltip player_id='396890' first='Josh' last='Mars'] who is going into another year as a starter, makes Piedmont's rushing attack one of the best in the state. Mars was in full control last week as he captained their offense to total over 500 yards on the ground. Mars got in on the action himself at times and finished the game with nearly 100 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown on the ground. Mars and Piedmont didn't need to throw the ball on Friday, but Mars also went 2-4 for 30 yards in the air. We knew coming into this season that Mars was an excellent option quarterback and he has backed up the hype so far through one game.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["595674"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"One of the more underrated players from Piedmont's team last season was 2025 standout [player_tooltip player_id='595674' first='Lane' last='Whitworth'] on the defensive side of the ball. Now, a few months ago, we wrote about Whitworth in our Deer Creek Team Preview because the two-way player had moved. But last week, Whitworth announced that he moved back to Piedmont and was rejoining the Wildcats. That's going to give Piedmont another playmaker on both sides of the ball. But when it comes to this week's showdown with El Reno, Whitworth will have to watch from the sidelines as he had to sit out the season opener against Noble last week and this week before he can take the field for the first time on September 8th. Whitworth really impressed us in person at our camp back in January and on film from last season. When he gets on the field, he'll be a game changer.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["969924"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='215197' first='Cannon' last='Wood'] wasn't the only two-way star that took the field for Piedmont in week zero. 2024 standout [player_tooltip player_id='969924' first='Tyson' last='Benford'] was another part of their excellent rushing attack and was also a terror on the defensive side of the ball. On offense, Benford finished with over 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just five carries. He had a third touchdown as well but it was called back because of a penalty. On the defensive side of the ball, Benford finished the night with eight tackles with two of them coming for a loss. The Wildcats have a three-headed monster on defense with Hardy, Wood and now Benford that will make things very interesting when they go up against El Reno's rushing attack. And Benford adds even more depth to an already potent flexbone rushing attack.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ee4089e8300"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->