Piedmont Wildcats OK 2026 Team Preview

Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!   It's the month of July and that means it's preview time! Throughout the month of July and even into August, we are publishing well over 100 of the most in-depth team previews that you'll find anywhere to get you completely ready for the 2026 football season. This is something that began for us at PRZ-Oklahoma in 2021 and it continues to get bigger and better every single year. We're looking forward to diving deep into the top teams across the state in every class. From defending champions, to the top contenders and plenty of dark horses and other teams to know, we'll have complete coverage every single day. There will be multiple previews dropping every single day! In this post, we take a look at the Piedmont Wildcats!   RELATED   <a href="https://youtu.be/SeU-nYvhQCo" type="link" id="https://youtu.be/SeU-nYvhQCo">- Piedmont Video Preview With HC Jeff Hall</a>   Piedmont Wildcats    Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #4 In Class 6A-2   Head Coach: Jeff Hall - 8th Season - 51-31 Record At Piedmont   2025 RESULTS (8-4 Record - Lost In Class 6A-1 Quarterfinals)   Aug. 29th - Beat Midwest City 53-0 Sept. 5th - Beat El Reno 34-0 Sept. 19th - Lost To Norman 37-7 Sept. 26th - Lost To Choctaw 40-29 Oct. 2nd - Beat Northwest Classen 64-0 Oct. 9th - Beat U.S. Grant 70-6 Oct. 16th - Beat Lawton Eisenhower 75-0 Oct. 24th - Beat Southmoore 41-19 Oct. 31st - Beat Stillwater 17-14 Nov. 7th - Lost To Putnam City 20-13 1st Round - Beat Bartlesville 53-28 Quarterfinals - Lost To Sand Springs 35-13   2025 Offensive Scoring Average: 39.6 Points Per Game 2025 Defensive Scoring Average: 16.6 Points Per Game   The Piedmont Wildcats came into the 2025 season ready to take the next step in their second year competing in Class 6A-2. It was a bumpy start to the year but ultimately, Piedmont took a positive step in the right direction and there's a lot to be excited about going into 2026. Piedmont opened the season with back to back shutout victories over Midwest City and El Reno. But they would drop their next two games to Norman and Choctaw. They would follow that up with five straight wins, including a 17-14 victory over district leader Stillwater on Halloween night. The Wildcats went into week ten with an opportunity to capture the district championship but they came up short to Putnam City, losing 20-13 to wrap up the regular season with a 7-3 record. That would force Piedmont to play in the first round of the playoffs against Bartlesville. They rolled to a 53-28 victory, setting up a quarterfinal showdown with Sand Springs for the second straight season. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the result that we saw in 2024 was the same in 2025. Sand Springs ended Piedmont's season for the second straight year in the quarterfinal round. The Sandites would go on to capture the state championship and they were the fourth different team in Class 6A-2 to win the state championship in the last four years. For Piedmont, they are hoping that the trend continues and they can become the fifth team to raise the gold ball in 2026. All signs are pointing to them continuing to trend in the right direction.   2026 OUTLOOK   Piedmont comes into the 2026 football season as the #4 team in our 6A-2 preseason rankings. That is without a doubt the highest preseason ranking that the Wildcats have had since they've moved up to Class 6A-2. And while we (Prep Redzone) don't have preseason rankings prior to our launch in 2020, we would go out on a limb to say that it's one of the highest preseason rankings they've had in program history, regardless of class. They bring back the majority of their starters and have a great blend of experienced upperclassmen that have started for two or three years and incredibly talented underclassmen that will end up playing college football. Piedmont brings back seven starters on offense, led by a multi-year starter at quarterback and a 1,000-yard rusher at running back. Piedmont averaged just shy of 40 points per game on offense last season and we think they could be at that same mark or blow by it this season. Defensively, the Wildcats bring back eight starters and this unit has the same situation where the upperclassmen have been starters for two or three years. And some of the underclassmen they have on this side of the ball might not be statewide names yet but that moment is coming. Piedmont finds themselves in a district that will be challenging but they will be one of the top teams in the mix for the district crown. They'll also test themselves with three straight non-district games against 6A-1 competition. That should get them prepared to make a run in the district and beyond in 2026.    KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION   Carter Hainrihar - Running Back Cooper Bunce - Offensive Lineman Ethan Burns - Wide Receiver/Defensive Back   PLAYERS TO WATCH    We really like what Piedmont brings back in their front seven and specifically at the linebacker position. One of those younger players you need to remember moving forward is 2029 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='2244459' first='Brody' last='Williams'] and we think he's primed for a monster sophomore campaign this season. Williams got into games last season in various moments and was productive when he was on the field. He already has good size and can absolutely fly. We think he could see his production on the defensive side of the ball absolutely explode this season. But Williams also showed last season that he could be an asset to the Wildcats on offense as another running back.      2028 running back [player_tooltip player_id='1878056' first='Brooks' last='Backus'] is going into his junior season with some momentum after a breakout sophomore season. At this time last year, we didn't know much about Backus. He was on our radar but he also felt like he was a little unproven in the Piedmont offense. That's not the case anymore as he comes into this season as a 1,000-yard rusher and a guy who has the ability to be an absolute workhorse in the Piedmont offense. The Wildcats are not lacking guys in the skill department so Backus isn't going to have to carry the ball 20-30 times a game but he's shown the ability to do that if necessary. Last year, he finished with over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns.      2027 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1696078' first='Gavin' last='Mason'] is coming off a breakout season last year, finishing his junior season with just shy of 100 tackles and he was a guy that could constantly be found in the opposing team's backfield. He finished with nearly 20 tackles for loss. Simply put, Mason was a heat-seeking missile at the linebacker position and found a way to be incredibly impactful. Similar to Backus, we didn't know much about Mason prior to last season but he became one of the linebackers to know in this class moving forward. As we've mentioned already, we really like the personnel that Piedmont brings back in their front seven and Mason might be the most productive of the group.    (2025 All State Honorable Mention)     2027 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1719482' first='Jordin' last='Holman'] returns for his second season as QB1 of the Wildcats. At this time last year, Holman had established himself as the starter but was going into his first season in this offense. And whenever you're talking about this offense, having an experienced player back at the position is going to put the unit in a much better position at the start of the season. When we got a chance to watch Piedmont in the spring, Holman's understanding and overall execution of this offense was very fun to watch. He rarely made the wrong decision and looks like a player that could take a major step forward when the Wildcats take the field this season.      2028 wide receiver and defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='1828021' first='King' last='Underwood'] is a newcomer to the Wildcats, coming over from Cashion and he's a 2028 prospect that is about to blow up in a major way. Underwood showed a lot of promise last season as a sophomore and there's no doubt that from an athletic standpoint, Underwood has a lot of features to like. Now, it will be interesting to see how the Wildcats use him because on one hand, he has the potential to be one of, if not the best wide receiver in 6A-2 football this season. But in this offense, Piedmont is going to rarely throw the football so Underwood will need to take full advantage of his opportunities when they come his way.      Piedmont will look to dominate the line of scrimmage on play after play. Returning to lead the offensive line is 2027 offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='2244453' first='Sean' last='Maguire'] and he comes into this season as one of the more experienced players on either side of the ball for the Wildcats. With the offense that Piedmont runs, they take a lot of pride in having possessions that go for 15 plays and take up the majority of the time in a quarter. When they're able to move the ball up and down the field, the offensive line should get as much credit as the various running backs that pick up the yards and ultimately touchdowns. Maguire is a massive part of the Piedmont offensive line and can dominate the line of scrimmage.   (2025 All State Honorable Mention)     2027 defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='2244456' first='Willie' last='Cruz'] is like the defensive version of Maguire for Piedmont on the line of scrimmage. Cruz has been playing meaningful snaps for years now and is the veteran of a very talented Piedmont front seven. Cruz will line up at defensive tackle and be an absolute monster in the middle of the line of scrimmage. He measures in at 6'3 and 300 pounds and he's a player that is going to demand opposing offensive lines send two guys at or risk him pushing the line of scrimmage backwards. That will free up his teammates to make the plays. But make no mistake about it, Cruz will also be able to produce and cause havoc in the backfield this season.    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   Easton Callison - 2027 Defensive Lineman Garrett Morrison - 2030 Running Back/Defensive Back Haizen Hollingshead - 2030 Running Back/Defensive Back Jeremiah Millhouse - 2029 Running Back/Defensive Back Kole Deslaurier - 2030 Offensive Lineman Kolten Deslaurier - 2030 Quarterback/Linebacker Maddox Carum - 2029 Quarterback Tatym Stahlman - 2027 Linebacker   2026 SCHEDULE   Aug. 28th - Edmond Memorial - The 2026 football season kicks off with a new match-up for Piedmont. They'll open up the season with a home game against 6A-1's Edmond Memorial. This will be the first time that these two teams square off on the gridiron. But it's also going to be the first of several match-ups against 6A-1 competition as Piedmont tries to take the next step in 2026. Sept. 4th - Southmoore - With Southmoore moving back up to Class 6A-1, this match-up has gone from a district meeting to a non-district meeting. Piedmont will host the Sabercats in week one and they'll be looking for their second straight win in the series. They won 41-19 in district play last year. Southmoore prevailed by a point in their 2024 meeting.  Sept. 18th - AT Norman North - The Wildcats will go on the road for the first time in 2026 here in week three, when they face Norman North. This will be the last test run for Piedmont before district play opens up the following week. It also wraps up this three-game stretch where the Wildcats are only facing teams in Class 6A-1. This is the first meeting between these two teams. Sept. 25th - Putnam City - District play opens up for Piedmont in week four with a home game against Putnam City. This will more than likely end up being big towards playoff standings and a game Piedmont needs to win to get a first round bye. These two have met in each of the last two years, splitting the meetings with the winner winning by a touchdown.  Oct. 2nd - AT Muskogee - Because three teams in 6A-2 are going independent this year and next, we get a rare non-district game in week five for Piedmont as they'll travel to Muskogee to face the Roughers. Muskogee also had an open date here because of independent teams that were supposed to be in their district so we get a 6A-2 east/west clash here.  Oct. 9th - Choctaw - It's back to district play with the possible game of the year here in week six. Piedmont will host Choctaw and this is a Yellowjacket team that has become one of the consistent contenders for 6A-2 supremacy year in and year out. They've met in each of the last two seasons and the Yellowjackets have won each time by double digits.  Oct. 15th - AT Lawton Eisenhower - On a Fall Break Thursday night, Piedmont will hit the road south to face off with Lawton Eisenhower. It hasn't mattered if it's 6A-2 or 5A, these two teams have been district opponents for the last decade. And it's a series that has been dominated by the Wildcats. Piedmont has won seven straight in the series, including last year's 75-0 win.  Oct. 23rd - AT Norman - In week eight, Piedmont goes on the road to face 6A-2 newcomer Norman and this is another game that will have massive playoff implications. The Wildcats have faced Norman in non-district play in each of the last two years. The Tigers have taken care of business each time but now, a win or a loss will have a greater impact moving forward.  Oct. 30th - Putnam City West - After back to back road games, Piedmont gets to return home in week nine for a district clash with Putnam City West. This is another new match-up for the Wildcats as the Patriots have been in the east side district of 6A-2 for the last few seasons. It's also a program that has struggled over the last few years and an opportunity to pick up playoff momentum.  Nov. 6th - Putnam City North - The regular season comes to a close with a home game against Putnam City North in week ten. The Wildcats and Panthers met in non-district play in 2020 and 2021. PC North swept that series and won both meetings by double digits. But both programs have gone in completely different directions since those non-district clashes five years ago.    NOTABLE   When you look at the history of Piedmont football in the playoffs, you'll see a program that is hungrier than ever to break through and become one of the top teams in their class. Piedmont has only one semifinal appearance in program history and that came in 2019 when they were in Class 5A. In the last two seasons, since moving up to Class 6A-2, the Wildcats have found a way to make it to the quarterfinals and have been knocking on the door of that second semifinal appearance but kept running into the Sandites. Now, we mentioned earlier how Class 6A-2 has become a class of ultimate parity. Since Bixby moved up to Class 6A-1, we have seen four different teams capture the 6A-2 state championship in the last four seasons. Stillwater (2022) Muskogee (2023) Choctaw (2024) and Sand Springs (2025) have all raised the gold ball and so we'll either see one of those teams capture their second gold ball during this stretch or the trend to continue with a new state champion in 2026. The Wildcats are certainly hoping that the trend continues. They have a chance to contend in the district and if they can finish in the top two, that will set them up with a more favorable path when the playoffs begin in November.   LAST FIVE SEASONS   2025 - 8-4 - Lost In Class 6A-2 Quarterfinals 2024 - 7-5 - Lost In Class 6A-2 Quarterfinals 2023 - 7-4 - Lost In Class 5A 1st Round 2022 - 7-5 - Lost In Class 5A Quarterfinals 2021 - 5-6 - Lost In Class 5A 1st Round   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   0 State Championships

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