Football: Piedmont Falls Short Against Moreau Catholic

Moreau Catholic 28, Piedmont 13

The Star: Moreau Catholic's front seven routinely got into the backfield and pressured Piedmont's quarterbacks into scrambling out of the pocket.

The Turning Point:  Down 21-13 in the middle of the fourth quarter, the Highlanders fumbled the ball on the Mariners' 26-yard line. Moreau Catholic capitalized on the turnover and scored on the ensuring drive.

The Quote: "I'm really disappointed. I feel like we let down the seniors," Piedmont quarterback Eric Huppert said.

What's next?  Piedmont plays its final game of the season at Kennedy next Saturday.

Bottom Line:  Piedmont hung close in what was expected to be a much more lopsided affair. The fumble in the fourth quarter ruined its upset hopes.

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The entire night 's offense had trouble finding rhythm with Moreau Catholic's penetrating defense constantly swarming the quarterback. Somehow though, midway through the fourth quarter the Highlanders had the opportunity to tie-up the game.

On the Mariners' 26-yard line, junior George Fullerton took the snap and drove straight up the middle. After getting to the 20-yard line Fullerton fumbled the ball away.

"I came through the hole, made a move and the ball just got away from my body," Fullerton said.

After getting the ball back, Moreau Catholic quarterback Adam Robinson found Joey Fiandor for a 25-yard touchdown pass. The touchdown would be the final points of the game as the Mariners (6-2-1, 4-2 Bay Shore Athletic League) beat Piedmont 28-13 (2-7, 2-4 BSAL) at .

Even with the fumble Fullerton was the Highlanders' most consistent ground threat on the night. On 12 carries he had 85 yards; the rest of the team had minus-22 yards on 10 carries.

Piedmont lined him up under center in their "Beast" package, which is a variation of the Wildcat offense.

"We have done it several times in the last three or four games this year to try to get more players at the point of attack," Piedmont coach Kurt Bryan said.

Fullerton was one of three players Bryan had at quarterback. While Fullerton was used primarily for running plays, Bryan utilized Steven Rowe and Eric Huppert for throwing situations.

Huppert, who has been Piedmont's starter this year, sat out last week with a grade-three ankle sprain. Since Huppert had still not completely recovered, Bryan decided to start Rowe.

Rowe never looked comfortable against Moreau Catholic's front seven. On 14 throws, he only completed four passes and had two interceptions.

In the third quarter Bryan decided to go back to the more experienced Huppert in hopes of changing his team's fortune.

"When we needed a shot in the arm, we got him back in there," Bryan said. "He did pretty good. He made two beautiful throws."

Huppert connected with his receivers on three passes for 19, 14 and 28 yards on the drive that ended on the costly fumble.

"I definitely wasn't a 100 percent," Fullerton said. "I'm glad I got a chance to get in there. I'm satisfied with the way I played but by no means am I satisfied that we lost."

More than anything else, Huppert was disappointed that the Highlanders lost on senior night. Friday night's game was the last home game for Piedmont's seniors.

"I feel like we let down the seniors," Huppert said. "They worked very hard for four years now. What happened, happened, and we're going to move on."

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Moreau Catholic 28, Piedmont 13

Moreau Catholic 7 14 0 7 — 28
Piedmont 0 7 6 0 — 13

Scoring summary
4:40, 1st; M – Nugent 5 run (Marzband kick)
11:47, 2nd; M – Nugent 10 run (Marzband kick)
9:26, 2nd; P – Myers 9 pass from Rowe (Labroi kick)
2:15, 2nd; M – Nugent 5 run (Marzband kick)
5:02, 3rd; P – Fullerton 25 run (kick missed)
2:45, 4th; M – Fiandor 25 pass from Robinson (Marzband kick)

Individual Statistics
Rushing (car-yards): M —  Nugent 21-89, Fiandor 14-54, Johnson 1-15, Robinson 2-(2). P — Fullerton 12-85, Garrett 1-0, Inch 1-(8), Myers 2-(19),  Rowe 5-(5).
Passing (comp-att-yards-ints): M — Robinson 9-19-148-0. P — Rowe 4-13-49-2, Huppert 5-12-101-0, Fullerton 0-1-0-0.
Receiving (rec-yards): M — Marzband 3-78, Nugent 1-13, Fiandor 2-48, Baca 1-17. P — Myers 6-102, Mamuyac 2-20, Elliot 1-19.

Team offense (rush-pass-total)
Moreau Catholic — 156-148-304
Piedmont — 63-150-213
Fumbles/lost: M — 2/1; P 2/1
Records: Moreau Catholic 6-2-1 (4-2 Bay Shore League), Piedmont 2-7 (2-4)

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East Bay Football Coverage

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