By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
PIEDMONT – No matter what Piedmont senior wide receiver Rollie Pinto does during the 2025 high school football season, his varsity career has already been an exceptionally admirable one.
Pinto suffered a season-ending knee injury during the fourth game of the 2023 season against Ohatchee. He missed the final eight games of the Bulldogs’ 5-7 campaign, Jonathan Miller’s first as Piedmont head coach.
Pinto pushed back with a vengeance last season. In his first game back following rehab, he caught 20 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 34-27 season-opening victory at Cherokee County. His 20 catches tied him for the second most all-time in state history and fell just two short of the AHSAA single-game state record (22) set by of Dora’s Stevie Woods against Oak Grove in 2010.
The Cherokee County game was a precursor for things to come for Pinto.
By season’s end, he set a new AHSAA single season record with 1,826 receiving yards, breaking the mark former Westbrook Christian standout Brandon Greer set in 1998 (1,736 yards).
Pinto’s weekly performances pushed Piedmont to the Class 3A state semifinals, where the Bulldogs’ season ended at eventual state champion Mars Hill. They finished with a 13-1 record, which included a Region 6 championship.
The Bulldogs graduated 12 seniors from last year, including quarterback Cole Wilson. But Pinto – a Jacksonville State commitment – and new signal caller sophomore Cole Austin are primed to helped put Piedmont back on another deep playoff path.
“Cole is going to be a really good player,” Pinto said of Austin, who made his first start at Westbrook Christian last season filling in for an injured Wilson. “I think a lot of people sleep on him. He can throw it really well. I think what a lot of people don’t know is he can run the ball. I think that will help a lot of us skill players out that he can run the ball. He’s very fast. He can throw the ball really good. I think he’s going to be a really good player, someone we’ll rely on heavily.”
Pinto’s words on Austin aren’t just player-speak.
In the Westbrook game in late September last season, Austin completed 9 of 12 pass attempts for 146 yards and two touchdowns – both to Pinto. He also ran for 101 yards on 10 carries and another score to lead the Bulldogs to a 38-10 victory.
Pinto finished that game with five catches for 89 yards and two scores. He also had two carries for 106 yards and another touchdown.
“Obviously Rollie is very, very talented on the football field. There’s not much that he can’t do,” Miller said. “He can return kicks. He’s got the best hands of anybody I’ve ever coached. That’s not just balls right at him. That’s making contested catches. That’s balls outside his body. He can do it all.”
It’s quite the remarkable feat since Pinto recovered from his ACL injury.
“Of any kid I’ve ever coached that’s had a serious injury like that, he’s made one of the best recoveries of anybody I’ve ever had with that type of situation,” Miller said. “I think the thing that’s helped him the most is he took that process very seriously. His body – not only his legs, but his upper body – he put on some good weight. I just think he used that time very wisely to work on his body. As a result, he came back stronger, faster, quicker.
“The credit goes to him. I guess it was a blessing in disguise. It wasn’t good for us two years ago, but a blessing in disguise (because) it gave him time to work on his body.”
Pinto said his teammates give him the fuel he needs.
“They give me the confidence,” he said. “It’s easy to do what I do when I have my teammates behind my back. They do a really great job.”
That respect goes both ways. The other Bulldogs saw Pinto’s recovery process, and it made an impact on them as well.
“A leader” is how junior lineman Braylen Williams describes Pinto.
“Rollie is self-led. He always wants us to continue to push, to keep pushing at all times. He gives us 100 percent.”
Pinto and Austin aren’t the only two playmakers Piedmont plans to utilize in 2025. Miller said senior Taylon Swain and sophomore Mason Morrow are expected to help take some pressure off of Pinto at receiver. Junior Jaxson Howard and sophomore Aliandre Wright are expected to see playing time in the Bulldog backfield.
The Bulldogs return three starters on the offensive line, including Williams at center. Junior Kane Stanford at left tackle and sophomore Deuce Taylor at right guard are the other two Bulldogs returning along the offensive front.
“If those three guys will continue to grow and improve, I think that will be big for us,” Miller said.
The defensive front is expected to be anchored by Williams and senior Malachi Camp Dandridge, Miller said, with a rotation of a lot of guys.
The Bulldogs return two inside linebackers in juniors Bentley Chandler and Chase Kirkpatrick who both started as sophomores last season. Ben Dempsey is Piedmont’s lone senior in the secondary at safety.
“We are breaking in a lot of new starters,” Miller said. “We lost 12 good seniors who played a lot of football for us. We’re going to be a team primarily of sophomores and juniors. We have seven seniors on this team. A lot of young kids will be playing, but the good thing is they got some experience last year.”
Piedmont competes in a nine-team Region 6 along with Locust Fork, Weaver, Ohatchee, J.B. Pennington, Wellborn, Westbrook Christian, Saks, and Glencoe. Following a home jamboree against Alexandria and Jacksonville on Aug. 15, the Bulldogs open the 2025 season at home against Cherokee County.
“We’re excited about the season,” Miller said. “I like where our team is headed. We’ve just got to continue to work and have that mindset of just trying to be the best we can be every day, improve just a little bit, and we’ll get to where we need to go.”
2025 Piedmont Bulldogs Football Schedule
Aug. 22 Cherokee County
Aug. 29 Saks
Sept. 5 at Ohatchee
Sept. 12 OPEN
Sept. 19 Westbrook Christian
Sept. 26 at B.B. Comer
Oct. 3 at Locust Fork
Oct. 10 at J.B. Pennington
Oct. 17 Weaver
Oct. 24 at Wellborn
Oct. 31 Glencoe
