Staff Reports

FLORENCE – Defending state champion Mars Hill ended Piedmont’s football season for the second straight year with a 48-16 victory in the Class 3A state semifinals Friday night.

The top-ranked Panthers (14-0) pounded out 447 rushing yards with seven touchdowns. They out-gained the No. 2 Bulldogs (13-1) 515-163 in total yards.

Hudson Higgins led the Panther attack with 210 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Jaxon Penn delivered 191 yards and four scores on 19 totes.

Higgins gave Mars Hill an early 7-0 lead on a 45-yard touchdown run with 10:31 to go in the first quarter. Penn accounted for the next two Panther scores on runs of 70 and 13 yards to give Mars Hill a 21-0 advantage after one.

Piedmont got on the scoreboard just 13 seconds into the second quarter on Cole Au

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