Joe McHugh is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism Student Assigned to cover Perry High School Football for AZPreps365.com

The Perry High School Pumas, led by coaching veteran Preston Jones, are fresh off of an 8-2 season in the 2018-2019 season, which landed them in second place in the 6A Premier conference. They would continue their dominance into the state finals, where they lost to the Chandler Wolves 28-65. Coming into the new year, and with some new faces, the Pumas are ready to pounce this season.

All eyes will be on the Louisville committed quarterback, Chubba Purdy, and to see if he can repeat his dominance last season in the new season. As a junior Purdy totaled an impressive stat line of 3422 passing yards, with a completion rating of about 64%, and 36 touchdowns. Not to mention, the kid can run, posting running back numbers from the quarterback position. Those stats look something like this, 1156 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. Coming into the new year Purdy looks sharp and is trending back to midseason form quickly, where through 3 games, he has already posted 959 passing yards, which leads all quarterbacks but one in the state, and 9 touchdowns as well as 214 rushing yards with 7 touchdowns, tying for third in the state for touchdowns. Purdy will be integral in the Puma’s ability to move the ball down the field.

On the opposite side of the ball, senior safety Andrei Mayberry has also been in the mix as one of the Puma’s top defenders. Although uncommitted, Mayberry has already received offers from Army and Texas State university. In the previous 3 games, Mayberry has posted 22 total tackles, including 1 tackle for loss, and an interception. To put that in perspective, Mayberry is either exceeding or tied with the national average in: solo tackles, total tackles, tackles per game, sacks, interceptions, and pass deflections. All in all, Mayberry is looking sharp early on in the season.

On the same side of the ball, Princeton committed linebacker Jackson Ford, is also having a hot start to the season. Ford has already racked up 26 total tackles and tagging on 2 sacks, ranking fifth in the conference in tackles and tied for third in sacks. Using his 6’1” 210 LB frame, Ford has shown how he can make the much-needed tackles and get in the offenses faces at all times. Ford also possesses a high football IQ and a natural instinct of what offenses are doing. His mix of play recognition and speed gets him in the quarterback’s face, as well as to the ball carrier quickly.

Although those are the “three stars” of this team, that term is used lightly. This Perry football team is loaded with talent from top to bottom “We have a young defense with a lot of new guys and some older guys,” Coach Jones commented. But young isn’t a bad thing. This team has a lot of guys that have the chance to be a huge contributing factor in the season.

Receiver Jorden Young is one of those guys. His talent hasn’t been fully exposed yet, as he has been with the team for 24 games since his sophomore year. Other senior receivers have gotten the call more than him in the past 2 years, only allowing him to post just under 1000 yards and 14 touchdowns in those years. This year however, Young off to a sprinting start, already posting 17 receptions, for 338 yards and 2 touchdowns, landing him top spot in the conference for those categories. Young is proving to be a serious deep ball threat, with some nice route running ability to go along with all that speed. His exceptional quicks also make him a great runner after the catch too.

Some other key players to watch is linebacker Cole Sabetta, and the Puma’s trio of tight ends, Cade Veach, Broc Lane, and Matthew McGrane.

This team has a tough schedule, there’s no getting around that. Currently sitting in last place in the conference with a record of 2-1. Their lone loss came against the Pinnacle Pioneers, who are the third ranked team in the state.

This team has the capability to be a contender in November and December when the state playoffs come around, and their talent surely doesn’t lie about that. The coaching staff is solid and the chemistry of the team is great. Don’t rule out another 8-2 season for the Pumas, because that is definitely possible, if all goes according to plan. The Pumas will get ready to show their claws as they face off against the Sandra Day O’Connor Eagles.

 

Sources:

https://247sports.com/Player/Andrei-Mayberry-46083355/

https://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/perry-pumas-(gilbert,az)/football/home.htm