PIEDMONT – The playoff picture for teams in Class 3A, Region 5 came into sharp focus Friday night after Piedmont pounded Glencoe, 35-14.

The Bulldogs (7-2, 6-1) earned the number two playoff slot in the region and will host a first-round playoff game. Their opponent will not be determined until after Friday night's action, as there is a three-way tie atop in Class 3A, Region 6.

Anyone who wondered if there would be a letdown for the Bulldogs after last week's heartbreaking loss to Leeds got their answer Friday: It was an emphatic “no”.

Coach Steve Smith had his team ready to play.

“After last week we had to try to refocus and define what we were playing for,” Smith said. “We had a lot of motivation to come in here tonight and get the win.”

The Piedmont defense showed up on Glencoe's first possession. Facing third-and-four, Trey Hill's pass was picked off by at midfield by Jamaal Johnson, who returned the interception down to the 1-yard line.

On the next play, Piedmont quarterback Chase Childers called his own number and gave the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead less than three minutes into the game. The extra point was wide right.

After getting the ball back, Glencoe swarmed down the field on a six-play, 72-yard drive in just over two minutes. Hill took the pigskin across the goal line from two yards out. The extra point put the visitors on top, 7-6.

Glencoe then surprised the Bulldogs with an onside kick, but the Bulldogs dug in and forced a three-and-out. Glencoe's defense returned the favor on Piedmont's next possession.

The Yellow Jackets then moved steadily to the Piedmont 28-yard line before being stopped on a fourth-and-four. The defensive stop gave the Bulldogs the chance to take a big bite out of Glencoe on the next play.

Childers took the snap, showed run, then stopped short and hit Tay Holloway in stride for a 72-yard touchdown.“

We do a lot of running with our quarterback and Chase does a good job of running hard on the inside,” Smith said. “We had picked up a tendency on their safety, how aggressively they played the run. It was a running situation, a first down play and we thought we would have a chance to hit a home run there, and sure enough it worked out. Chase just stepped up into the middle like a run and then stepped back, made a good throw and Tay made a good catch and run.”

Childers added the two-point conversion, giving Piedmont a 14-7 lead.

Glencoe enjoyed an advantage in time of possession in the first half. Their offense accounted for 39 plays, but the Bulldogs defense didn't break again before halftime.

The Piedmont offense used another big pass play to set up the final score of the half.

With just over three minutes remaining, Childers found Noah Willis at the 30-yard line. Willis sprinted down the sideline before being brought down inside the 2. A penalty then moved the Bulldogs back to the 7; two plays later, the locomotive horn sounded loud and long, signifying Childers's second touchdown.

Chris Strott tacked on the extra point to give Piedmont a 21-7 advantage.

The Yellow Jackets missed a 19-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.

Three minutes into the third quarter, Piedmont took most of the sting out of the Yellow Jackets. Christian Cantrell picked up his only touchdown of the night after weaving 21 yards through several defenders. The extra pointed was good, and Piedmont led 28-7.

Less than a minute later, the Bulldogs put the game out of reach.

On the ensuing kickoff, Piedmont pinned Glencoe on the 13. After a defensive stop and an offensive penalty moved the ball back to the 6, Piedmont's defense blew up the Yellow Jackets interior line, knocked the ball loose and recovered it inside the 5.

Jamie Major soon scored the final Piedmont touchdown, slashing into the end zone with 8:28 to go in the third.

Smith had high praise for his tenacious defense.“We struggled a little bit on offense and Glencoe's defense had a lot to do with that,” Smith said. “But, we had two touchdowns that our defense set us up for. Jamal's interception was a turn and the fumble recovery in the third quarter was huge.”

With eight minutes left, Glencoe closed out the scoring on a 50-yard pass from Rhett Norman to Tim Chunn.

Smith said the excitement over finishing second in the region and earning the right to host a playoff game does not mean his team will overlook this week's non-region opponent. The Bulldogs travel to Class 2A Woodland this Friday night.