Staff Reports
PIEDMONT – The Collinsville Panthers gave the Piedmont Bulldogs a fight, but ultimately second-ranked Piedmont pulled away for a 46-28 victory in the first round of the Class 3A state football playoffs on Friday.
Cole Wilson completed 9 of 11 pass attempts for 246 yards and four touchdowns for the Bulldogs (11-0). Ishmael Bethel was his top receiver, with five catches for 176 yards and three scores. Rollie Pinto caught three passes for 63 yards and a score.
Wilson and Bethel accounted for Piedmont’s first score on a 57-yard connection with 7:47 to go in the first quarter. The extra point provided Piedmont a 7-0 lead.
Collinsville (7-4) responded with Mason McAteer’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Lang to tie the game at 7, but Pinto gave Piedmont the lead again just 19 seconds later with a 90-yard kick return for a score. Piedmont led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
McAteer tossed his second touchdown pass on a 36-yard connection with Rajuess Rooks with 9:09 to go in the second quarter. That touchdown tied the game again at 14.
The Bulldogs bounced back on a Wilson 3-yard touchdown run to cap an 8-play, 73-yard drive. Following the extra point, Piedmont was back out in front 21-14.
Piedmont scored twice more in the second quarter to push its lead to 33-14 at halftime. Brodie Homesley accounted for a 2-yard touchdown run at the 4:58 mark, and Wilson connected with Bethel again on a 52-yard touchdown pass with less than a minute remaining before halftime.
The Panthers tried to rally again in the third quarter. They recovered an onside kick to start the second half. Collinsville marched down the field and McAteer scored again on a 3-yard touchdown run at the 8:15 mark to pull the Panthers closer at 33-21.
Piedmont closed out the third-quarter scoring on Wilson’s 49-yard touchdown pass to Bethel to make it a 40-21 game.
Collinsville still didn’t go down quietly. With 7:55 remaining in the game, McAteer threw a 70-yard pass to Quintavious Rogers, who then lateraled to Rooks at the 20 and took it the rest of the way for a score. Following the extra point, Collinsville trailed 40-28.
But Piedmont put the game away with four minutes to go on Wilson’s fourth touchdown pass – a 17-yarder to Pinto – for the final.
McAteer finished the game completing 13 of 25 pass attempts for 220 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Panthers. He also ran for 65 yards on 19 carries with a score. Rooks caught three passes for 72 yards and a score.
Hayes Gunn added 61 yards on 11 carries for Piedmont, who will host Lauderdale County (8-3) for the second straight year in the second round next Friday. Lauderdale County won last year’s contest 35-30 to end the Bulldogs’ season. The Tigers blanked Vinemont 24-0 in other first-round action on Friday.