Football Recap: RJ Sherrod and Cayson Tarlton Lead the Defense for Piedmont Win + How To Watch

After only 12 points in their last contest, Piedmont made sure to put some points up on the board against South Stanly on Friday. The Panthers secured a 33-27 W over the Rowdy Rebel Bulls.

Jack Blakeslee

Passer Rating

08/29/25 @ South Stanly	93.5
08/22/25 @ Parkwood	60.3
11/01/24 @ Parkwood	28.2
10/25/24 @ Monroe	4.9
10/18/24 vs Forest Hills	39.6
+ 5 more games

Jack Blakeslee looked great while leading his team to the win, throwing for 248 yards and three touchdowns. What's more, he racked up 93.5 passer rating, the most he's had since back in September of 2024. Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Kaleb Poole, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.

Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Piedmont proved: they limited South Stanly to a paltry 2.8 yards per carry. The team can thank James (JC) Helms for the heroic effort on defense: he. Piedmont didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 6.3.

Piedmont didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of RJ Sherrod and Cayson Tarlton. Piedmont got some further help from Helms: he picked up a sack and made 12 total tackles (2.0 for loss).

Several Rowdy Rebel Bulls players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Jasiah Holt, who picked up 225 receiving yards and one TD. Holt's longest reception was for an incredible 80 yards. Another signal caller making a difference was Kaleb Richardson, who threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 12.1 yards per attempt.

The win got Piedmont back to even at 1-1. As for South Stanly, their defeat dropped their record down to an identical 1-1.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Piedmont will look to takes advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they takes on East Rowan at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for South Stanly, they will welcome Anson at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.