Friday, October 12, 2007

GAME 5 v. OAKLAND

Remer's field goal gives Piedmont homecoming win













By Jimmy Durkin
STAFF WRITER
Article Launched: 10/12/2007 03:05:49 AM PDT

PIEDMONT -- As the Piedmont High football team was attempting to move the ball into position for a game-winning field goal, coach Kurt Bryan pulled kicker Jordan Remer aside and made sure nobody else talked to him.

That attempt to keep Remer relaxed worked, and the senior made a raucous homecoming crowd go crazy as he split the uprights on a 32-yard field goal attempt with 1. 5 seconds left to give the Highlanders a 17-14 non-league win Oct. 5 over Oakland.

"I was just trying to relax," Remer said of his emotions preparing for the kick. "The enemy is getting too excited. You always work on your mechanics, but if you're not relaxed, it doesn't mean anything." The finals seconds actually ticked off the clock at Witter Field after the kick sailed through, and the Highlanders mobbed Remer thinking the game was over. But the officials added 1.5 seconds to the clock and penalized Piedmont for the understandably overzealous celebration.

The additional time didn't change the outcome however. Oakland attempted a lateral play -- a la Cal-Stanford -- but the first lateral attempt was fumbled and recovered by Piedmont to end the game. Three big plays by Piedmont's Devin Brown in the final half-minute helped the Highlanders (3-2) get Remer in position to be the hero.

The junior made a diving interception on a fourth-down pass with 32.2 seconds remaining. A play later, he made a leaping 38-yard catch for his only reception of the day to move the ball to Oakland's 44. On the following play, with quarterback Jeremy George rolling out under pressure, he backtracked and delivered a crushing block to free George, who completed a 15-yard pass to Joey Andrada to reach the Wildcats' 29.

"I just wanted to win," Brown said. "I was doing it for the seniors. It's their last homecoming." George followed with a 14-yard run to move Remer into position, and he easily booted the kick through. It was the second straight week that Oakland (0-5) saw its hopes of getting a win disappear late. The Wildcats allowed a touchdown and a two-point conversion with 3:53 left to Balboa in a 22-21 loss last week.

"We're getting better," Oakland coach Curtis McCauley said. "We're young and inexperienced, but (the players) play hard for four quarters of football. ... We need these painful experiences to help us grow." Piedmont opened the scoring in the second quarter when Andrada adjusted his route to catch a pass from George and complete a 38-yard touchdown.

It looked to stay 7-0 going into halftime, but with Piedmont backed up and punting, Oakland's Ryan Murphy got his hand up and blocked the kick. It shot into the air, and Rahsaan Jackson caught it and ran 10 yards for the game-tying score.
George gave Piedmont a 14-7 lead with a 20-yard run, but the Wildcats tied it with 8:34 remaining on a 20-yard TD pass from Charles Cobbs to Marcus Aldridge.

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