The Piedmont Panthers''s recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fourth straight loss. They were outmatched by Monroe at home and fell 58-0. Piedmont has struggled against Monroe recently, as their game on Friday was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
When it comes to explaining why Piedmont lost, one person who can't be blamed is Nathaniel Gagnon. Despite the final result, he rushed for 127 yards.
Monroe was led to victory by Kaegan Chambers and Zachariah Melton. Chambers rushed for 22 yards and a touchdown, while Melton gained 109 total yards and two touchdowns. Gavin Davis made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Another reason for the win was Monroe's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. In fact, those sacks all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Zion Lindsey.
Piedmont's loss dropped their record down to 1-9. As for Monroe, the victory was the seventh in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 10-1.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Piedmont will take on Parkwood at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Parkwood comes in on a streak of failing to score more than 12 points in their last three games, a trend the squad is of course eager to reverse. As for Monroe, they will be playing at home against West Stanly at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. West Stanly will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps North Carolina Rankings (they are ranked 205th, while Monroe is ranked 18th).
