GAME DAY: Kevin Smith and the Perry Panthers aim to defend Region 1-4A title amid big losses

The reality of high school football is that the players you have are there for a very limited time.

Not only that, but most don’t reach their peak until their junior or senior year, meaning you have even less time to capitalize on that talent.

This cycle of losses means you always have to be focused on those coming up, or as coach Kevin Smith put in the spring, the “next man up” mentality.

“It’s not reloading, it’s not rebuilding…it’s next guy up and the standard don’t change,” Smith said.

Welcome to the Panther Pit:

Offense — Through the air

The passing offense is likely going to change the most this year because of several losses; Those include quarterback Cullen McDaniel, who was one of three quarterbacks the Panthers cycled through in 2024.

That also includes Kory Pettigrew, Kiel Sparks and Rodarious Lewis who made up 98% of last year’s wide receiver receptions. The other 2% was Jalen Hall, who also graduated.

The good news is Perry returns Reid Ginn and Jhamard Cobb — the other two quarterbacks in the rotation.

Ginn is accurate when he has time to throw, boasting a 66% completion percentage (77-for-116) for 907 yards, 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions during his All-Region 1-4A Honorable Mention campaign in 2024.

He can throw on the run, but it’s greatly preferred he has time in the pocket to make a throw downfield.

Cobb is the bigger, more physical quarterback who was used mostly in goal line situations as a runner. He was 2-for-3 for 7 yards throwing, but had 9 carries for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground.

Smith said he anticipates both to get snaps this season, and in some cases they’ll be on the field at the same time.

With a depleted receiver corps new faces are going to have to pick up the slack, and Smith included Cobb in that list as an all-purpose receiver.

His 6-foot-3, 205 pound frame already makes him bigger than most high schoolers in the secondary, and his strength and athleticism should allow for some extra yards after contact. His hands, route running and other aspects of the receiver game are yet to be seen by the public, though.

Other names Smith mentioned were senior Anton Overton and junior Dakarai Felder, though neither have taken a varsity snap yet.

Overton is listed as 5-foot-8 and 135 pounds while Felder is 5-foot-9 and 125 pounds, so it will be a departure from the tall possession receivers Perry has been used to the last couple of years.

Smith did praise Felder’s catching and route running ability, though.

One name that remains the same is Decorrion Daniels, last year’s RB2 behind Ahmad Gordon.

Daniels is unique in the fact that he is not just great catching out of the backfield, but lining up out wide as well.

He can play in the slot or outside, and he brought down 18 receptions for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns last season.

Offense — On the ground

Daniels’ usefulness far exceeds just catching the ball despite him doing it far better than the average high school running back.

He earned a spot as the All-Region 1-4A Athlete of the Year last year, and that athleticism aids him in every aspect of his game.

As a kick returner he amassed 298 yards and housed several kickoffs. As a runner he carried the ball 102 times for 571 yards and 13 touchdowns.

His agility is his greatest asset; It allows him to juke and spin away from defenders as well as stay up after taking contact without losing speed.

When it comes to top speed he’s also stellar. When he reaches open field a switch flips and he takes off.

As far as who will back him up, Kam Oliver has had Smith’s eye since the spring.

Oliver is listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, but Smith said he’s up to 210 pounds and provides a lot of physicality as a sophomore.

“He’s showed this spring and this summer that he’s capable. He’s got the ability and the biggest thing with him is just get seasoned,” Smith said.

It’s been years since the Panthers had a running back as big as Oliver, and even then they were 40 pounds lighter.

Senior Zavion Simmons is expected to contribute in spots, too.

The offensive line will see plenty of new faces as well with All-Region 2nd Team selectee Jukorin Thomas and All-Region Honorable Mention Stephen Gore graduated.

Smith said sophomore Joshua Latson is the only returner from last year’s varsity squad. He also said that there’s a lot of competition at the position with seven names mentioned including Latson:

Junior Johnny Clarke and seniors Caden Kinchen, Quintez Alexander, Connor Jenkins, Harrison Cooper and Kane Kimbrough.

In order to get into the first five on the field, which Smith said had not been decided during the summer, all seven have to prove themselves.

Jenkins and Kimbrough have the most size at 6-foot-3 and around 240 pounds each, with Kimbrough listed as a defensive end. Clarke isn’t too far behind height-wise at 6-feet tall and 260 pounds and Kinchen is of similar stature at 5-foot-11 and 250 pounds.

Alexander and Cooper face more of an uphill battle at 5-foot-10, 195 pounds and 5-foot-8 and 211 pounds respectively, but are both in the race.

Even last year Perry had some growing pains with the offensive line particularly in the run game; Against East Coweta they didn’t get up to the second level and hold their blocks like they should. The early weeks will tell how much growing pain they’ll face with this new unit.

The good news is they return a beefy couple of tight ends in seniors Jackson Thompson (6-foot-1, 235 pounds) and Castor Engelbach (6-foot-3, 215 pounds). Thompson in particular showed his chops against linebackers and strong safeties which helped earn him a spot on the All-Region 2nd Team.

Defense — In the trenches

On the other side of the line the Panthers lose one of their most productive pairings — defensive linemen Ashlon Ashley and Chayden Barber.

Both earned an All-Region 1st Team selections in 2024 and combined for 80 tackles, 6 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss and Ashley even nabbed an interception on the season.

All-Region 2nd Team selectee Noah Clark returns for his senior season. He’s faster than most interior linemen he faces at 6-foot-1 and 232 pounds, and on tape that allowed him to rip through them on his way to 37 tackles (20 solo), 5 sacks and 4 TFLs.

Alongside him Smith said the Panthers are set with seniors Anteros Sims Jr. and Xavier Williams (moved from offensive line) and junior Kyle Brown who was moved from linebacker.

There are a couple of players who have a chance to work their way in as reserve players in senior Darian Jones and junior Jaylen Moore, but Smith said he doesn’t anticipate a change in the rotation.

The linebacker corps also lost a big hitter in now Western Kentucky Hilltopper Jordan Donald, who was selected to the 2024 All-Region 1st Team He tallied 89 tackles (49 solo), was tied for first on the team with 6 tackles for a loss and was tied for third with 3.5 sacks.

Senior Jaiden Coleman returns from his All-Region 2nd Team selection with 72 tackles (43 solo), a team-high 9.5 TFLs, and 4 pass deflections.

Coleman is listed as a safety and linebacker, but spends much more time in the box than in coverage because of his great tackling.

Alongside him Smith mentioned senior Janaris Reeves, who faced injuries last year, and senior Chance Joseph who got limited run through six games with 11 tackles (6 solo).

Junior Kyle Jones, who is still unproven at the varsity level, is another name to watch out for on the field, too, Smith said.

Defense — The secondary

The secondary returns the most experience from 2024 and has the potential to be the best unit for the Panthers in 2025.

That’s not to say they didn’t take a massive hit — they lost Elijah Joseph who led the team with 95 tackles and Devon Smoot, both All-Region 2nd Team selections.

But Johntavious Carswell, Quentin Crane and Andrew Battle all come back with a combined 100 tackles, 19 passes deflected and 2 interceptions. Carswell and Crane were also All-Region Honorable Mentions.

Battle is the smallest of the bunch at 5-foot-8 and 145 pounds, but he always found himself in the play last year against some of Perry’s best opponents.

Carswell is quick with a listed 4.44 40-yard dash time, and led the squad with 10 passes deflected last year. His size is also good for a defensive back at 6-feet and 160 pounds.

Crane grew a lot last year and could both roam and help and press up on receivers, though he got beat over the top at times because of his lack of top end speed.

The schedule

Perry’s schedule is the exact same as last year’s, but instead of the pleasure of the Pit they have to endure six of seven games on the road after the season opener.

That leaves the home slate looking pretty dry, but if you can make the trip to the Peach County game on Aug. 22 that one is always worth a watch.

Another game worth seeing is when the Panthers host Warner Robins on Oct. 31. Last year that rivalry renewed for the first time in 60 years with the Demons taking the win with a field goal that just snuck over the crossbar with 0.4 second left on the clock.