Howard's Big Night Propels Piedmont To Third Straight Win Over Cherokee Co,

Bulldogs get back on track as region play begins next week.

Piedmont's Jaxson Howard outruns the Cherokee Co, defense for the first of his three touchdowns in the Bulldogs 26-6 win, | Jay Pace

Piedmont extended its recent dominance in “The Battle of Highway 9” on Friday night, beating chief rival Cherokee County, 26-6.

It was the third consecutive win for the Bulldogs and their 13th in the last 15 meetings. With Friday night’s victory, Piedmont now leads the all-time series 41-39-3.

Piedmont Shakes Off Slow Start

Senior running back Jaxson Howard led the way for Piedmont, scoring three of the Bulldogs’ four touchdowns. His first was a spectacular 43-yard run with 3:57 left in the first quarter that gave Piedmont its first points of the night and an early 6-0 lead. Howard’s run capped a 98-yard drive following a Cherokee County fumble on the opening possession.

“I got the ball and tried to find the hole and ran right and it was clogged,” Howard said after the game. “And they just couldn’t tackle me, so I bounced it back outside and I was gone. They couldn’t catch me then.”

Howard finished the night with 111 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries.

“To be able to come up with a turnover right there, to be able to get the ball, drive it and get out of the shadows of our end zone was big,” Piedmont coach Jonathan Miller said.

Later in the first quarter, the Warriors responded by marching 99 yards to tie the game at 6-6 when quarterback Tatum Perry found tight end Nate Black in the back of the end zone.

While both offenses slogged through the first half, Piedmont got things going early in the second half, scoring on its first two possessions to open a 14-point lead at 20-6 and effectively put the game out of reach.

Tenacious D

A relentless Bulldogs pass rush eventually forced Perry into an interception late in the game that led to Howard’s final touchdown run of the night.

While Howard drew most of the praise for his offensive effort, a tenacious Bulldogs defense did its part, too, harassing anything that moved in the Warriors’ backfield all night long. All told, Piedmont allowed just 200 yards of offense while forcing two turnovers, both of which led to Bulldogs touchdowns.

After a crushing home defeat to Jacksonville last week, a road win over its biggest rival swings the pendulum back in Piedmont’s direction as region play begins next week with the Bulldogs on the road at Ohatchee.

Cherokee County (0-1) looks to right the ship next week when Guntersville travels to Warrior Field for a key Class 4A, Region 8 matchup.