Piedmont High School’s boys football team rolled right into its off week with a 49-14 rout of Encinal at Witter Field on Sept. 20. The Highlanders are 3-1 and will not play again until hosting Dougherty Valley on Oct. 4.
“It was a good win against a tough, physical Encinal team” Piedmont coach Jordan Seiden said. “Kind of like we did the week before, coming out a little bit slow, not playing our best football starting the game. Kind of got it together middle of the second quarter.”
Markos Lagios was picked off twice in the first half, both times following Jets turnovers and costing the Highlanders great field position. Alexander Marston had both interceptions for Encinal.
But Piedmont was never threatened. The Highlanders scored on their first possession, with Lagios busting out for a spectacular 53-yard touchdown run.
Bruce Osborne muffed the ensuing kickoff with Miles Silver recovering the ball for Piedmont on the Jets 26. But on the next play, Marston picked Lagios on a deep pass. The Highlanders took over at the Encinal 35 after a punt early in the second quarter and quickly converted with Tommy Ashton running the ball in from the 4.
Varsity players get a police escort onto the field for their Homecoming game vs. Encinal 
Varsity players during the National Anthem
Later in the quarter, a 33-yard run by Ashton set up at 16-yard touchdown run by Xavier Henderson to make it 21-0.
Marston immediate struck back, taking a pass from Filisione Vakalahi and scoring on a 63- yard play. The score was 21-7 at halftime.
“I gave them a little pep talk in the locker room, got our bearings straight, we got it together,” Seiden said. “A real strong third quarter. We got off the ball better, defense was tackling better.”
Piedmont got the ball first in the third quarter and went on a nine-play, 80-yard drive with Lagios hooking up with Sam Shelby from 15 yards out for the score. Cash Elmquist then intercepted a Vakalahi pass setting the Highlanders up on the Jets 25. Ashton scored on a 10-yard run, and it was 35-7.
Sam Shelby (2) 
Cash Panico (18) 
Miguel Long (21)
Shelby had a 55-yard punt return for a score wiped out by an illegal block, but it didn’t matter. Piedmont scored on the possession anyway when Shelby took a Lagios pass 36 yards for the touchdown. That made it 42-7 and the game was played with a running clock.
Vakalahi connected with Charlie Snell on a 22-yard touchdown for Encinal’s final points. Henderson then returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown to close out the scoring.
Seiden said there will be things to work on during the off week. “One of the things I want to focus on is working on our passing game,” he said. “I think our running game has been strong. Defensively, overall our pass defense has gotten better the past couple of weeks. We definitely have some things to work on heading into the long stretch of the season.”
