By Joe Medley, East Alabama Sports Today

PIEDMONT — Uriel Cornejo’s 22-yard field goal on the game’s final play lifted ninth-ranked Collinsville past No. 5 Piedmont 17-14 in second-round Class 2A state football playoff action on Friday night.

Collinsville (10-2) advanced and will play host to Lexington (11-1) in the Class 2A quarterfinals. Piedmont finishes its season at 10-2.

The Bulldogs had made the semifinals 10 of the past 12 seasons, the last two times under head coach Jonathan Miller. Piedmont won five Class 3A state titles under Steve Smith.

Piedmont was one of more than 200 schools to move down in classification ahead of this season, and Collinsville became the first 2A team to beat the Bulldogs this season. This after the Bulldogs dominated Region 6 play (7-0).

The Panthers prevailed in a high-level quarterback showdown. Mason McAteer completed 15-of-23 passes for 144 yards, including touchdown passes of five yards to Josh Toodle and eight yards to Jeremiah Killian.

Piedmont’s Cole Austin completed 8-of-12 passes for 114 yards, including touchdown passes of 36 yards to Mason Morrow and 25 yards to Carson Cleveland. Austin also rushed for 49 yards.

But the game came down to the game’s final drive.

Collinsville took over after a Piedmont punt with 5:30 to play and drove 30 yards in 10 plays, aided by a pass interference call that moved the Panthers into field goal position.

Cornejo came on with 2.3 seconds left and, after Piedmont’s timeout to ice him, split the uprights. He’d done the same thing at 6:46 of the fourth quarter, hitting a game-tying extra point after back-to-back false start penalties moved him back.

Piedmont trailed 7-0 at halftime but rallied, taking an 8-7 lead on Austin’s touchdown pass to Morrow plus Carson Sanders’ two-point conversion.

The Bulldogs led 14-7 after Austin’s touchdown pass to Cleveland at 11:47 of the fourth quarter before Collinsville rallied for the win.