GAME DAY 2018

PERRY PANTHERS
14
Story by JAMES SIMPSON, II
As a brand new high school football
season begins to get underway,
there’s plenty of optimism brewing
around at Perry High School. The
difference between this season
and the last has much to do about
preparation and foundation.
“I feel good about where our
program is at,” said Perry High
School Head Football Coach and
Athletic Director Kevin Smith. “I
think we’ve had a great offseason.
We started in January in the weight
room. I think we got a lot stronger
once we got to spring practice.
We’re so much further along as far
as what to do, our scheme, and how
things are expected to be from this
time last year.”
In Smith’s first year as head coach,
the Panthers went 5-5 and he’s
looking to improve on that mark
by building more of an assuring
environment where players and
coaches can fully lean and depend
on each other to do their jobs
effectively. “Last year our thing was
‘All In.’ Our thing that we’re going
to build on this year will be trust,”
said Smith. “Trust was a big issue
in 2017. Players have got to trust
each other. Players have to trust
the coaches. Players have to be
able to trust their teammates, and
coaches are going to have to trust
the players on and off the field. Our
slogan will be Trust.”
This year’s Panthers squad will
be a more experienced, veteranladen
team led by upperclassmen
while at the same time a younger
squad surrounded by mainly
underclassmen. The Panthers will
be a group that will combine to
feature the best of both worlds. “I
think it’s going to be a mixture of
both,” Smith added. “Our skill guys
on offense are made up of a lot of
seniors.”
The offense will be made up of
southpaw quarterback Lane Rucker
who is heading into his sophomore
year and junior running back Tyrell
Owens who will lead the way in the
backfield. The capable wide receiver
core should serve as a stern test for
opposing secondaries led by senior
speedster Davion Ross, senior Malik
Mullins, senior Tyler Ridley, and
junior Taylor Lumpkin, who Smith
said he is expecting big things from
Building trust
is a high
priority for
the Panthers
heading into
2018 season
in 2018. “Those guys are going to
bring some experience back being
in our system a year,” said Smith.
Also in the equation will be senior
Jonathan Williams, who spent some
time at running back as well at slot
receiver, and will play the role of an
all-purpose threat.
“We have to get the ball to our
playmakers,” said Smith, explaining
the strengths of the offense. “Our
playmakers are our receivers and
running backs. We have to get them
the ball out in space.”
Smith said that the offensive line
was one of the team’s “strong
points” last season, although this
year’s bunch will be young and
inexperienced and still “trying to
GAME DAY MAGAZINE 2018
Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith, in his second
year as Perry High school’s
athletic director and head
football coach, has a good
chance of helping lead Perry
back to the postseason after
a few seasons away.