By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
PIEDMONT – Piedmont senior linebacker Kale Austin just happened to be in the right place at the right time against Fyffe.
The Bulldogs were clinging to a two-point lead in overtime following Simon Hicks’ 3-yard touchdown run. The Red Devils called Hicks’ number again for the game-tying two-point conversion, but this time, Hicks was met head on by Austin to stop him in his tracks. That allowed other Bulldog defenders in pursuit to help bring Hicks down and preserve a 30-28 victory.
The win propels second-ranked Piedmont to the Class 3A state semifinals for the ninth time in the past 10 years. Piedmont (13-0) will travel to Florence to face fourth-ranked Mars Hill (12-1) for the right to go to Birmingham. It will be the first meeting between the two schools. Mars Hill defeated Winfield 28-13 in other state quarterfinal action on Friday.
Fifth-ranked Fyffe’s season ends at 9-3.
“They had been running with 33 (Hicks) in a tight formation, and our D-line got a good push,” Austin said on the game’s final play. “The linebackers fit (in the gaps) and they just bounced out my way.
“We come through at the end. It’s amazing playing your last game as a senior at the Field of Champions. It feels good to end out on a win, but we’ve got two more to go.”
Two was a number that constantly came up throughout the game.
Fyffe’s second drive resulted in a safety and an early 2-0 Bulldog lead. Piedmont’s final score in overtime came after head coach Jonathan Miller decided to go for two following Hayes Gunn’s 1-yard score, giving the Bulldogs the lead.
Quarterback Cole Wilson, who wears number 2, connected with Kaden Doyle on the ensuing two-point pass to extend Piedmont’s lead to 30-22.
“It was a tough call,” Piedmont coach Jonathan Miller said. “I just knew if they scored they were going to go for two if we kicked the PAT there. I wanted to put it in our offense’s hands. They’ve been lights out all year. If we didn’t get it, I figured they would go for two anyway. It was going to come down to their two-point conversion regardless, so we just decided to go for two there. I thought we had a good play call, and it turned out our way.”
Doyle said the Bulldogs have been working on that two-point play all year.
“We were just waiting for the time to use it,” he said. “It was the right time. I knew I had to catch it, and I did.”
The two heavyweight teams battled to an 8-8 tie at halftime. Following the safety in the first quarter, Fyffe missed a 24-yard field goal that would’ve given the Red Devils the lead.
On its ensuing drive, Piedmont scored its first touchdown on Wilson’s 17-yard pass to Gunn with 3:19 remaining in the first half. The snap on the extra point was bobbled, and holder Chase Kirkpatrick scrambled for a pass which fell incomplete.
Fyffe sophomore running back Ryder Gipson tied the game at 8 with under a minute remaining in the first half on a 13-yard touchdown run. He also ran in for the two-point conversion.
Piedmont took the opening possession of the second half and drove it 64 yards in seven plays – all passes by Wilson, who connected with Ishmael Bethel on the final 10 yards of the drive. Wilson’s extra point provided Piedmont a 15-8 lead.
Following a Fyffe punt, the Bulldogs extended their lead on another Wilson touchdown pass. This one went for 23 yards to Rollie Pinto. Wilson again connected on the extra point to give Piedmont a 22-8 edge.
But the Red Devils battled back behind Gipson’s running. He scored his second touchdown on a 2-yard run with 2:26 remaining in the third. The PAT brought Fyffe back within a score at 22-14.
The Red Devils cashed in a Wilson interception with Gipson’s third touchdown of the night – a 1-yard carry. Following a successful two-point try, the game was tied at 22 with 8:51 remaining the game.
Piedmont appeared as if it would regain the lead with a substantial drive, but on a fourth-and-goal at the Fyffe 6-yard line, Wilson threw his third interception of the game.
The Red Devils had their chance to perhaps score the game-winning touchdown in regulation, but on a fourth-and-6 from the Piedmont 35, the Bulldog defense stopped Gipson for no gain, turning the ball over on downs with 57 seconds remaining in regulation.
Wilson guided the Bulldogs inside the Red Devil 20 with 7.3 seconds to go, but Isaiah Young couldn’t get out of bounds after a 9-yard reception as time expired to force overtime.
If Piedmont had time remaining on the clock, Miller said the Bulldogs would’ve attempted a game-winning field goal.
“We hadn’t made a field goal all year, but the last possession (of regulation) we were going to try one,” Miller said. “If we would’ve gotten out of bounds there, we were going to kick it. We weren’t able to do so, but again, we wanted to put it in our offense’s hands to see what they could do.”
Wilson completed 36 of 52 pass attempts for 371 yards and three touchdowns. Pinto caught 17 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown. Bethel hauled in 12 receptions for 141 yards and a score.
Gipson led Fyffe with 274 yards on 42 carries with three touchdowns. Hicks finished with 77 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown.
“It was two good teams playing, two good programs who are historically great,” Miller said. “We were just able to make one more play than they did tonight.”
“We’re very pleased with the outcome we got tonight, but there’s still business to be done,” Wilson said. “We know we’ve got to win next week before we get to our main goal, which is Birmingham. We know we’ve got a great opponent, so we’re going to have to come to practice very focused and work our butts off.”
