By Matthew Martin/SportsCorrespondent
Piedmont had too many weapons, Glencoe too few answers on Friday (Sept. 13).
The Class 3A No. 2 Bulldogs used a revolving door at the skill positions to out race the Yellow Jackets, 41-7, in Region 5 high school football action at GHS.
“He’s (Piedmont coach Steve Smith) got a stable of athletes,” Glencoe coach Lee Ozmint said. “It’s a lot different when you’ve got seven guys playing both ways. That’s not to take anything away from them, they’ve got a great team. It’s almost not fair. They are just so great athletically.”
Piedmont (3-0, 2-0) blew open a close game when Ty Sparks hit CJ Savage one-on-one outside and the receiver did the rest, racing 53 yards for the score. Dreek Thompson ran in for the two-point conversion to make it 27-7 just 13 seconds into the second half.
Later in the quarter, Darnell Jackson ran away from Glencoe defenders for a 77-yard touchdown, increasing the Bulldog lead to 34-7.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Thompson rumbled 40 yards for the final score of the night with 11:50 left in the game.
“We had to be quick, because they are a lot bigger than we are,” Piedmont coach Steve Smith said. “[Glencoe] were bringing so much pressure, we had to throw the ball. I am proud of our passing game tonight.”
Glencoe (1-2, 0-2) was able to hang with the explosive Piedmont offense in the first half. With several Yellow Jackets playing on both sides of the ball, however, the Bulldogs wore Glencoe down as the game went on.
In the opening quarter, Sparks found Savage open behind the Glencoe defense for a 63-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was missed, leaving the score 6-0 with 6:53 left in the first quarter.
Sparks kept the pressure on Glencoe’s defense in the second quarter, throwing a 27-yard touchdown pass to Jackson with 9:57 left in the half. The PAT made the score 13-0.
Glencoe was able to answer, however, as quarterback Dylan Stone broke free on a 64-yard touchdown run. Joseph Bright’s PAT cut the deficit to 13-7 with 9:04 left in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs would not let the Yellow Jackets get any closer, as Sparks soon added to the lead, this time with his legs. Sparks’ 52-yard keeper made the score 19-7 heading into the half, as a two-point attempt failed.
“We did a good job, in the first half, taking away their big plays, but they wore us down,” Ozmint said. “The third quarter was a game of numbers and they we able to wear us down.
“But if he’s (Smith) rotating in eight running backs and six wide receivers, who each run a 4.4. I’ve got a guy, who runs a 4.6, covering them, it’s going to wear you down.”
Sparks completed 6-of-14 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns. He also had three carries for 72 yards and another score.
Jackson had five carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. He also caught one pass for the 27-yard touchdown.
Savage caught two passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns, while Thompson had six carries for 65 yards and one score.
For Glencoe, Stone completed 5-of-20 passes for 124 yards and an interception, while rushing 13 times for 104 yards and a touchdown.
Mason Brown had 16 tackles, followed by Pace Ozmint with eight and Houston Word with seven.
Glencoe returns to action next Friday in a region game at White Plains, while Piedmont hosts Cleveland in region play.