Piedmont Piedmont Returning to full strength after a knee injury Pike puts on a dazzling performance during Piedmont wins 35-19 during Smith’s return to Westbrook Christian
By Shannon Fagan
Piedmont high school senior Trevor Pike made up for some time lost this football year on Friday evening.
Injured in the previous game during the Sylvania game, Pike played his part and made himself evident in every aspect of his game in the 3A class region 6 rival Westbrook Christian.
When he first stepped foot on the ball in the running back position, Pike ran for 54 yards, which set the stage for the McClane Mohon four-yard touchdown just three minutes into the game. Pike also was able to catch a 40-yard touchdown ball in the backfield of player Cole Wilson in the second quarter.
The most impressive game of the evening came in the closing moments of the first period.
Following the Westbrook Christian’s Lamycal Mitchell scored in an one-score match, Pike returned the ensuing kickoff for 81 yards and a score, which gave Piedmont the lead of two in the second half.
Pike scored another touchdown at the end of third quarter of the game as the Bulldogs won a victory of 35-19.
The win puts Piedmont’s region mark of 2-3 (2-4 in the overall) and places Piedmont’s Bulldogs back in the race for playoffs.
“It changed in the direction of momentum” Pike said of his kickoff return that resulted in scoring. “They did it just before halftime, and then we reclaimed it.”
Pike’s presence throughout was a thing that new Piedmont head coach Jonathan Miller was glad to observe.
“We’ve had to miss him this season due (to injuries),” Miller said. “We were able to get back him last week in Anniston. He’s a player. He hasn’t played much since he’s not played for a long time, however we were able to get him back in the game this week. He was a good player on defense. We’ll have to get him involved in the offensive game because there’s a lot of energy around his.
“Trevor puts his heart on the field each when the ball is played. He was a star on the field. I’m proud and happy for him.”
Miller claimed Pike “called an error” after the kickoff return.
“He instructed the children at the sideline, “Give me four blocks and I’m taking it home. He’s just played a fantastic game. His desire to succeed is unstoppable.”
Returning to Piedmont and assisting an old team for the very first time Westbrook Christian head coach Steve Smith stated that Pike was “a different maker.”
“He was everywhere on the field and all sides of the ball, and also in the game of return.
I thought he did very good,” Smith said. “He’s that player who the ball comes to him. He was found tonight and he made the right decisions using it, making many important plays for them.
“No Doubt this (kickoff return) was a major shift in momentum for them. We were able to cut it down to seven with just five seconds remaining. We had momentum in our favor. Give him credit. We didn’t manage to put him down. He continued to fight. We didn’t manage to do an adequate job of getting him down.”
Unsatisfied with the way he had done in the first period, Pike was able to return a Westbrook punt for a huge yardage to the 15-yard mark in the third quarter. He also accounted for a second Piedmont score. Another score from Wilson and was an 18-yarder with just 7:18 left in the
third.
The extra point from Chase Cardelli gave the Bulldogs with a lead of 28-7.
Pike took four interceptions for 70 yards, and scored two points. Pike also managed to run for 62 yards with just three runs. Wilson was 7-for-15 in passing for 91 yards, and scored two touchdowns scored to Pike.
The Warriors attempted to keep the game tight after Mitchell’s 1-yard touchdown on the next drive. Mitchell was instrumental in establishing the scoring with his 44-yard catch by quarterback Greyson Carroll, giving Westbrook first-and-goal at the Piedmont 3 yard line.
After having to force Piedmont to throw, Westbrook Christian had a chance to reduce the Bulldog lead even more but Carroll was tackled and then lost the ball. Piedmont senior linebacker Kale Austin snatched the fumble, and returned it for 24 yards for a touchdown giving the Bulldogs 35-13 lead.
the lead at the end of three quarters.
Carroll hit Mitchell on a score of 80 yards with 8:42 remaining in the game. It brought the Warriors within 35-19.
Carroll finished eight out of his 20 passes for 195 yards, and a touchdown went to Mitchell. Mitchell was able to catch five passes, resulting in 165 yards.
Piedmont’s defense won the game with Mohon’s intercept of Carroll with 4:22 remaining.
“I believe each team made mistakes however they made the most of our mistakes,” Smith said. “That’s the kind of thing a team with a strong foundation does. They will capitalize on your mistakes.
“The mistake we’ve made this evening cost us. We owe them credit for doing the right thing by taking advantage of.”
Pike as well as Miller both stated that it was right for Piedmont to take a victory.
“Everybody’s been working hard in training. This is finally making a difference,” he said. “I’m hoping it stays that way for the remainder of the season..
“We all knew going to this game that we needed to win to get an opportunity to make the playoffs. This was among our primary motivations this evening.”
Miller said Miller, “Any win we are able to achieve right now is creating confidence. Everything has happened against us, and could happen to us. It’s been a rough year so far however, our children continue to fight and scratch.
“We’ve played hard. We’ve lost a lot, but our kids keep coming back week after week, and fighting that much more.”
