Perry stunned in second round of playoffs

PERRY, Ga. — Sometimes the best team doesn’t win. The Perry Panthers had their dreams crushed Friday night, as they fell to the Wayne County Yellow Jackets at home in the second round of the GHSA football playoffs.

One of the most talented teams in recent years, Perry had high expectations for this season, but it just wasn’t meant to be this year. Give the Wayne County head coach, Jared Shaw, credit for coming up with a great game plan and being able to execute — they were the better team that night — but if they met again the outcome would probably be different.

From top to bottom, Perry has the better athletes — they just had an off game, and a lot of that was probably due to the miserable weather conditions. The first major cold front moved in, and the weather shifted to below 40 degrees. The offense just looked out of sync all night.

In the first quarter, Wayne County managed to move the ball on their first possession, but Perry forced them into a fourth-and-short situation, and then the Panthers stuffed Wayne County as they went for it on fourth down. Perry was also able to pick up a first down or two, but Armar Gordon Jr. threw an interception, and Wayne County took advantage of the mistake. Gordon has been phenomenal this year, and he usually makes great decisions, confirmed by the fact he only had two interceptions all year long coming into the game. He still has a QBR of 130, which shows how dominant and efficient he has been this season.

Wayne County was able to get the running game going, and they moved the ball down the field, ultimately scoring on an eight-yard touchdown run to go up 7-0. On the ensuing drive, Perry could not get much going on offense. Wayne County was stacking the line, and they prevented Perry from getting the running game going. They were also bringing pressure, and Gordon looked uncomfortable all night. He just could not find a rhythm. I’ve never seen Perry struggle like that on offense, so give credit to Wayne County’s defense — they came to play and executed their game plan flawlessly. Perry’s defense held Wayne County for the rest of the half, but their offense could not get much going.

In the second half, Perry came out and started driving down the field. Just when it appeared that they were starting to click on offense, Wayne County intercepts another pass, killing the drive and giving them great field position near midfield. Like last time, Wayne County capitalized on the turnover, and they drove down the field and scored on another rushing touchdown, making it 14-0. A stunned Perry crowd looked on as their team was in serious trouble.

Perry finally managed to get things going on their next possession, and Gordon hit tight end Donovan Funsch on a short route on the end zone, allowing Perry to get back in the game and pull within one score, 14-7. It looked like Perry was setting the stage for a comeback win, but they would fall just short.

Wayne County was trying to drive and add to their lead on the next drive, but Perry intercepted the pass, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. With the Panther Pit rocking, Perry tried to tie the game, but unable to move the chains, they were forced into a fourth-and-three situation. Gordon attempted the quarterback draw, but Wayne County was anticipating a run, and they stuffed Perry at the line of scrimmage, forcing a turnover on downs.

After holding Wayne County again, Perry’s offense would get another shot to tie the game. Using the crowd’s energy, the Panthers were able to drive down the field again, and they found themselves in a fourth-and-goal situation with under a minute left on the clock. Gordon dropped back and found an open receiver.

Funsch, who had made some big plays that evening, was able to get two hands on it, but the ball jarred loose as he hit the ground, and though he bobbled it several times, he was not able to secure the catch, and the Panthers turned the ball over on downs. Perry went on to lose 14-7, and their great season has come to end, unfortunately.

As I mentioned, Perry looked out of sync all night on offense, and Gordon threw as many interceptions as he had thrown all season. They never looked comfortable, and this was due to the pressure Wayne County was able to consistently apply to Gordon, combined with the cold weather.

It was a heartbreaker, but I’m sure the Panthers will be back next season. Coach Smith has put together a special program, and the sky is the limit for the Perry Panthers. We will just have to wait until next season to see if Perry can bounce back and make it to the title game. Win or lose, the Perry faithful will always support their beloved Panthers, and that is part of what makes this program so special.

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