DES MOINES — Saydel threw 46 passes and ran the ball just three times to shred the Perry defense for a 44-0 win in non-district football Friday.
Judd Roberts connected on 23-of-46 passes for 263 yards and five touchdowns to lead Saydel (1-1) to their first win since Sept. 15, 2017. Perry (0-2) fell for the 20th consecutive time, with the last Bluejay win coming Oct. 20, 2017.
The game, for no easily explainable reason, started nearly 20 minutes past the scheduled 7:30 p.m. kick off. Combined with so many passes, and a pair of long injury stoppages for a pair of Perry players (both taken afterwards to nearby hospitals, where both were found to have avoided serious injury) the game did not end until nearly 11 p.m.
The slow conclusion to the contest, whose outcome had likely been decided before halftime, helped fray Perry nerves. That, combined with a series of questionable officiating decisions and a continued aggressive attack from the hosts deep into the contest, left Perry coaches and players bitter and (likely) somewhat irritated as time wind down.
However, the Eagles (1-1) can not be played for taking advantage of a Bluejay pass defense that simply could not stop the home team assault.
Saydel need just four plays to go 65 yards for a score on the first possession of the game, with Roberts hitting Ryan Nelson for a 12-yard touchdown and a 6-0 lead.
An interception moments later set up the second TD of the game, with Roberts connecting with Austin Challey for a 26-yard score. Nick Gudin pulled in a 46-yard TD strike later in the second quarter for a 22-0 Saydel lead, with Perry having to fall on a bad punt snap in their own end zone for an Eagle safety, which set the halftime score at 24-0.
Punting snap and protection problems continued in the third frame as the host recovered a blocked punt at the 11-yard line, but Darwin Sarceno’s interception in the end zone turned back the threat.
The reprieve last only a few minutes, as Roberts hooked up with Kolton Keller from five-yards out to push the score to 30-0, with Gudin pulling down a 26-yard TD strike for a 38-0 lead late in the third quarter.
Backup quarterback Caleb Hecker scrambled for a 10-yard TD in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring.
Roberts ran twice for four yards and Hecker once for 10 yards to account for what amounted to a afterthought of a running game for Saydel.
Gudin (7-146, 2 TDs), Challey (7-73, 1 TD), Nelson (3-24, 1 TD), and Keller (4-11, 1 TD) led the Sayel receivers.
The host came up with two fumble recoveries and intercepted two passes in addition to blocking a punt and forcing a safety. Gavin Godwin led the team with seven tackles, with Dylan Hill making 4.5 stops.
Perry struggled mightily on offense, passing for only 16 total yards and rushing for just 37 just 40 carries (yards lost on quarterback sacks is deducted from rushing totals in high school). The Bluejays have thrown for 26 yards and rushed for 74 on 61 hauls through two games.
Jeremiah Baker started at quarterback and finished 3-of-8 with two interceptions and 14 yards, with Jeremiah Cregeen 1-of-3 for two yards. Cayden Widen caught three balls for 10 yards and Deshawn Salcedo one for six yards.
Baker led Perry on the ground with 25 yards on 11 carries, with Widen running twice for nine yards. Abraham Ruiz had 12 yards on 14 rushes to account for the positive yards gained.
Ben Ramirez made six tackles to lead the defense, with Jose Flores having 3.5 stops and Gavin Hegstrom three. Juan Hernandez had two tackles and an interception, with Darwin Sarceno making a pick and returning the ball six yards.
Up next for Perry is a trip to Class 3A top-ranked DC-G, a 35-14 winner over North Polk Friday.
