For the Vikings, Piedmont played safety and got some carries as a running back. He will play more of an outside linebacker-safety hybrid position for the Trojans.

“He really took a big step up leadership-wise this past season,” said Rief Gilg, Huntington North’s coach this past fall. “He, along with a couple other kids, was the heartbeat of our defense. He really brought a great attitude. He’s a very physical player for his size. He played very, very hard. But the main growth we saw was in his leadership.”

Piedmont plays the game with a distinctive recklessness and fire, flying around the field looking to make that big, game-changing hit. He said he flips the switch into football-mode once he steps between the white lines.

“I don’t know where that comes from,” said Piedmont, who plans to major in Business. “There’s kind of like an on-off switch. I guess I am kind of soft-spoken, but when you play you just have to compete. There’s something about once you’re out there, the beast comes out I guess. That’s why I’m playing in college: I love it. It’s unexplainable.”

Trinity International is coached by third-year head man Kirk Wherritt, who once served as an Offensive Assistant on Urban Meyer’s staff at Utah in 2004 when the Utes went undefeated. The Trojans play in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.