Fall Sports Kickoff held at Dewey Field

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Perry's Kade Killmer (58) speaks to assistant coach Trayon Nash during Friday's scrimmage with South Hamilton, part of the Fall Sports Kickoff at Dewey Field.

The 2018 Fall Sports season experienced an unofficial start Friday as fans gathered at Dewey Field and the PHS gym for a series of events.

The Perry volleyball team held their own scrimmage at 4:30 p.m. and later joined the crowd across 18th Street at Dewey Field for multiple activities.

Fans were given their first look at the new entryway and cement courtyard, as well as the new concession building, ticket booths and north (home) bleachers. The concessions and restrooms are not yet completed and open, but will be in time for the Aug. 24 game against visiting Greene County, when the Cowbell Trophy is contested for the 87th time.

Some concrete remains to be poured, and the 8-foot Bluejay sculpture and lighting are yet to be installed to help complete the first phase of the renovation. The last items to be put in place will be all signage, including over the entry archway. It is expected all will be installed prior to Perry’s second home contest, a Sept. 14 visit from North Polk which will serve as Homecoming.[wpedon id=”85410″ align=”left”]

Fans were asked to donate sports drinks in lieu of admission and, by all accounts, delivered in generous fashion, as cases of coolerants filled the back of a gator truck. A grill out was held, with the Perry Booster Club holding a membership drive.

The Perry girls swim team, volleyball squad and cross country runners and their coaches were all introduced to the crowd, as were the Perry cheerleaders. The Perry marching band and signal corps entertained those gathered in the final non-football act.

South Hamilton joined Perry for a controlled scrimmage that lasted just over an hour, long enough for new Perry head coach Matt Hardy to both recognize areas needing attention and places where praise was due.

“After our defense got punched in the mouth a few times they toughened up and played well, I thought,” Hardy said. “We were not as intense as we should have been and needed to get hit a few times, needed to see the game played at a Friday-night speed — I am glad we had this scrimmage, because it was certainly needed.”[wpedon id=”85410″ align=”left”]

Hardy said the offense ran “mostly vanilla stuff” and tried few complicated sets or plays.

“We are not going to be a team that can line up and run it at you, and if teams can get away with putting eight defenders in ‘the box’ we are going to be in trouble,” he added. “We have to be able to stretch the field, use the speed we have on the outside, and not let the other team crowd the line of scrimmage. If we can do that, I think we will play well enough on defense to give us good shots in many of our games.”

ThePerryNews.com will have complete season previews for all fall sports in the next week.

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