Perry Panthers 2018 schedule may be the toughest in the county

 Take the two bye weeks that rest early and late in

the Perry High School Panthers 2018 schedule and hold on for dear life. The

games that the Panthers and second-year head coach and athletic director Kevin

Smith and his staff have coming their way amass to a test this program hasn’t

seen in quite a while. It is safe to say the Panthers have the toughest

schedule – in regards to away games and quality of opponent- of all of the six

football programs in Houston County.

The Panthers, who start their preseason at home against rival Peach County on Friday, open the regular season on the road with their

first two games at Freedom Field against a much-improved Houston County High

School Bears team looking to get back on track after having their worse season

in nearly a decade and at Northeast High School, down the road in Macon. Perry

doesn’t play their season opener on their new and improved turf field until

Fri., Aug. 31 against another Macon school with a very strong defense in

Westside High School. The Seminoles played their spring game against Warner

Robins a few months ago and looked like a team that will be vying for a

postseason berth when all is said and done.

The following week on Sept. 7 the Panthers will

travel to Albany to play Monroe High School before entering one of two bye

weeks. The Tornadoes, coached by Charles Pruitt, are a smaller program in

1-AAA, but play a tough region schedule every year against Cook, Crisp County

and Worth County High Schools and will not be a pushover.

On Sept. 21 Perry hosts Veterans High School, the

last two games between these two programs have been spilt -the Panthers

dominated the 2017 contest and the Warhawks won a close game that came down to

a final possession in 2016- and with a new coach in Kathleen, Milan Turner,

looking to set the precedent, there will be just as much fire in this year’s

game than any other before it.

Two more home games follow with the region 2-AAAA

season beginning with Upson-Lee and Howard High School coming to town. Perry’s

playoff hopes ended last season after a very strong start when their region

schedule began. There is a very good chance that the Panthers player back on

the roster- including starting quarterback Lane Rucker, a sophomore, senior

cornerback Davion Ross and junior running back Tyrell Owens, to name a few-

will not be allowed to forget that fact.

The final bye week of the season Oct. 12 will lead

into consecutive road games at Spalding High school in Griffin and at rival

Mary Persons High School down the road in Forsyth. Both teams are expected to

make the postseason this coming season and will continue to be tough teams to

play. Perry has failed to defeat the Bulldogs the past two seasons.

Even the season finale at home against West Laurens

High School won’t be a chance to relax. The Raiders are returning a

senior-laden secondary and junior quarterback A.J. Mathis who threw for more

than 1,600 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 259 yards and four touchdowns

last season as a sophomore.

The path to the AAAA playoffs begins next Friday

and the Perry Panthers will a tough road to get there. Are you ready for some

football? Better yet, is Perry?

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