Staff Reports

ANNISTON – The Piedmont Bulldogs closed out their regular football season with a bang at Wellborn Friday night.

Cole Austin completed 10-of-14 pass attempts for 262 yards and three touchdowns. He also gained 108 yards on eight carries with three more scores to lead the fifth-ranked Bulldogs to a 48-6 whipping at Wellborn on Friday night. The win clinched the Class 2A, Region 6 championship for the Bulldogs (9-1, 7-0). They will host a home playoff game on Nov. 6.

Carson Cleveland was Austin’s top receiver with six catches for 138 yards and a touchdown. Ethan Tidwell caught two passes for 25 yards, both for touchdowns.

Jaxson Howard added 67 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown.

The Bulldogs built a 42-0 lead at halftime. Austin got things going with a 51-yard touchdown run set up by a Wellborn fumble with 8:29 remaining in the first quarter. The 2-point try was no good, keeping the score at 6-0.

Austin added a pair of 3-yard scores later in the first quarter, giving Piedmont a 22-0 advantage. Austin threw his first touchdown pass in the second quarter – a 51-yarder to Carson Cleveland – to extend the Bulldog edge to 28-0. Austin added a 22-yard touchdown toss and a 3-yard scoring pass to Tidwell to extend Piedmont’s lead at halftime.

Howard scored the Bulldogs’ final touchdown on a 3-yard touchdown run with 4:21 remaining in the third quarter.

Wellborn (8-2, 5-2) prevented Piedmont’s shutout attempt on Braden Horton’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Zackery Page in the fourth quarter for the final.