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Yappi.com writer PERRY TWP.—Friday night will be the 50th anniversary of Perry Panthers football. Along the way, the Panthers program has accomplished a lot in 50 seasons of Perry High School football. Memories include the crushing of a peak and nearly unbeatable Massillon Tigers team 23-6 in the dangerous confines of Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in the 1999 playoff opener. One week later, the Panthers took down two-time Division I state champion and former #1 ranked Canton McKinley 7-0 in a regional semifinal. Next season, the Panthers won a regional title and made an appearance in the Division I state semifinal and played Solon tough before falling 28-7 at Dix Stadium in Kent. Third-year Perry head coach John Miller would love nothing more to make Friday night a memorable one for his Panthers as they challenge the Hilliard Darby Panthers in what will be a catfight between the two teams Friday night at Perry Stadium, which kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. A win Friday night will make this Friday night a memorable and unforgettable one. And what better way for the Muskingum College graduate to be in the reins of where he got his start…coaching the Panthers. And he relishes every moment he has as a Panther. “Perry has great pride and great tradition and that is a tribute to the parents and the community. We have a community that cares about our athletes and you can’t ask for anything more,” he said via phone interview from his office. “We have good kids that have great character and also work hard. They also practice hard too.” That has been evident in the last two weeks. Trailing Wooster for three quarters and then pulling out a win on a Marc Fry touchdown run to secure a 7-3 win was followed up by a 17-7 win over Central Catholic in which both teams played to a 10-7 stalemate before Eric Magnacca’s 50-yard touchdown scamper put the game out of reach. In both wins, the Panthers showed that they were the tougher football team. And the result has been a 2-0 start for the men of Perry Township. And no one has been more pleased than Miller. “We have tough kids that play aggressive. They might not do everything right but they come at you like 100 miles per hour. That most of the time will cover up a mistake,” Miller said. Miller is a coach who prides himself on toughness. The same toughness he expected out of his players at Canton McKinley is no different than the toughness he expects out of players who play for Perry. And the toughness that his legion of Panthers have shown is a reason why they are in a solid position to advance their record to 3-0 provided they can defeat their Panther opponents in Hilliard Darby. “Hilliard Darby is a good football team. They have a lot of size, speed, and tough kids. Their quarterback can throw and run. He does a good job of that,” Miller said about their offense. “They also have backs that can run the ball.” “Defensively, their linebackers are really good. They play hard and their secondary has players that play very well too. They are a very good team and we have to be ready.” Winning this game is simple according to Miller. Control the clock and grind the tempo of the game way down like last week. “We have to take care of the football. We have to sustain drives and the play on special teams will be critical. It will be important to produce on all three phases of the game and be aggressive while winning the battle of the trenches,” Miller said. Perry has always been a team known for sustaining drives under former head coach Keith Wakefield, who is now the linebackers coach at Mount Union College. It is no different under Miller, who served under Wakefield as a defensive coordinator before assuming the head coaching position in 2004. And what better way to sustain a drive when you have a junior named Eric Magnacca. Magnacca broke the century mark last week as he rushed for the deciding touchdown against Central Catholic. Expect him to be counted on a lot Friday night. He is at his best in the fourth quarter when tired defenses have trouble bringing him down. “Magnacca has worked hard in the off-season. He has done a good job and has worked hard like everyone else,” Miller said. “He works hard. The offensive line has created the holes for him to break long runs. They make it happen.” A win will give Perry vast momentum entering Federal League play. The Panthers have not won a league title since the 2000 season. A win could jumpstart some league aspirations but beating Hilliard Darby is first. “Anytime you win, it is always great momentum. Right now, we care about Hilliard Darby,” Miller said. “We’ll work on the Federal League when it comes up. Yes, we want to be undefeated going into league play but we have to win this week’s game on the field first.” Perry has accomplished a lot in 50 seasons of Perry High School football. A win will make Friday night a memorable one for the Panthers. The Perry Panthers, that is. |
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