By Joe Medley, East Alabama Sports Today
PIEDMONT — Rollie Pinto decided he wouldn’t be stopped in Piedmont’s Class 3A, Region 6 showdown with Westbrook Christian on Friday. Once he got going, there was no stopping Piedmont.
Pinto accounted for 153 yards in total offense and two touchdowns, and Piedmont overcame Westbrook 40-27 on Piedmont’s Field of Champions.
That left Piedmont (4–0) alone atop Region 6 at 3-0 in region play. Westbrook fell to 3-1, 3-1 and alone in second place.
This on a night that featured a pregame ceremony celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Piedmont’s 2015 state championship game. Among the coaches and former players who took the field for the ceremony was Steve Smith, Piedmont’s former coach of 17 seasons now in his third season as Westbrook’s head coach.
Also present was former Piedmont all-state wide receiver Bayley Blanchard, son of late Piedmont defensive coordinator James Blanchard. The younger Blanchard is in his first as head coach at Glencoe and has the Yellow Jackets at 3-1, their best start since 2015.
The 2015 team won one of Piedmont’s five state titles under Smith, who still lives in Piedmont.
“It was extra special, getting to see a lot of those guys,” he said. “I saw some of them last night, when they came into town.
“Getting to be a part of that was a really cool thing. It’s something I’m very proud of, and I’m very proud of those guys for what they’ve become since that time. All of those guys are ultra successful in their chosen walks of life. It’s really good when you see former players, and they’re doing well for themselves.”
As for Pinto’s impact, the Jacksonville State commit hit his stride in the second quarter. He caught 20-yard touchdown pass and a conversion pass from Cole Austin to put Piedmont up 16-8 at 6:49 then broke an 81-year end-around down the Piedmont sideline at 5:15.
Add Austin’s conversion run, and Piedmont led 24-8.
“We just needed to loosen him up a little bit,” Piedmont coach Jonathan Miller said. “We tried some underneath stuff out early and felt them out a little bit and decided that we needed to go down field a little bit.
“He made some tough catches, and Cole made some good throws under pressure.”
Pinto rushed six times for 108 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 45 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown catch, which saw him wall off a defender and maintain his position in the front corner of the end zone, came one play after he pleaded with officials for an interference call.
“After that, I knew they were going to play physical,” Pinto said. “I just had to own it, and I had to play physical back, so I did that.
“Coach trusted me to make plays, and that’s what I did.”
Austin hit on six of 16 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown, but Piedmont gained 206 yards on the ground. Jaxson Howard’s 57 yards rushing included a 21-yard touchdown run to put Piedmont up 32-14 at 9:07 of the third quarter.
Westbrook Christian quarterback Brody Blevins rushed for 84 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown run, and completed 14 of 25 passes for 203 yards. The Warriors outgained Piedmont 364 total yards to 297.
Easton Skaggs had touchdown runs of 10 and six yards, and Brodey Wood had a 19-yard touchdown run.
Piedmont made up for Westbrook’s edge in total offense thanks to a touchdown apiece on defense and special teams.
Chase Kirkpatrick recovered the fumble in the end zone after Xanthan Wood pressured Blevins into throwing a backward pass for Piedmont’s final touchdown.
Ben Dempsey jumped, blocked and simultaneously caught a Westbrook punt, returning it three yards for the game’s first score. Add Austin’s conversion pass, and Piedmont led 8-0 at 7:33 of the first quarter.
“I just ran up, saw I had an open gap,” Dempsey said. “I jumped up and almost didn’t believe I had it for a second.
“It hit me right in the stomach and kind of hurt a little bit. That boy’s got a leg.”
