LAST MEETING — Tiger quarterback Steven Lawrence single-handily destroyed the Bluejays, passing for 160 yards and a touchdown and rushing for a TD and 226 of Gilbert’s 433 ground yards in a 38-14 win. Perry threw for 136 yards and ran for 89, with Reece Dunlap scoring on a five-yard dash and a 66-yard pass play.
ABOUT THE BLUEJAYS — Perry did not score an offensive touchdown in either of their two latest games and is currently 53rd in 56-team Class 3A in total rushing with 404 yards on 147 carries (2.7 ypc) with three TDs.
Quarterback Alexis Garrido leads the ground game with one score and 91 yards on 42 carries, with Dunlap (25-62) and Donald Chavez (41-51, 1 TD) the next two leading rushers.
Garrido is 44-99-5 for 531 yards and five TDs through the air. Dunlap (18-258, 3 TDs) and Brandon Kenyon (18-242, 2 TDs) are, far and away, the primary targets.
The defense has been simply worn down each week of district play by being on the field far too often, as the offense has not been able to maintain possessions. The unit has seven interceptions (Dunlap has three thefts) and eight recovered fumbles.
Defensive backs Kaleb Olejniczak and Mana Martinez lead in total tackles with 34.5 and 34, respectively, with Conner Kenyon adding 32 stops.
ABOUT THE TIGERS — Gilbert opened Disrict 2 play with a 42-20 loss at No. 6 Webster City before beating Iowa Falls-Alden, 49-20. The Tigers dropped a 55-34 contest at Boone last Friday.
Matt Bargay has taken over at QB and is 62-of-131 for 1,092 yards and eight TDs but has been intercepted 11 times.
Keegan Sturdy (23-410, 3 TDs) and Landon Howard (17-392, 4 TDs) give Bargay two speedy targets much like Dunlap and Kenyon. Ajay Reed (9-166, 1 TD), Aiden Carr (9-70) and Anthony Porter (4-54) have also played important roles in the aerial attack.
The team has rushed 177 times for 818 yards and 13 TDs, with Reed (89-515, 8 TDs) doing most of the damage. Howard (13-120, 1 TD) and Carr (23-90, 1 TD) have also been involved.
Eric Swart has 48.5 tackles, Logan Litchfield 33 and Noah Ante 30, of which two are sacks and seven others for negative yardage.
The defense has two interceptions — one of which Swart returned 97 yards for a score — and six fumble recoveries. Swart also has a 98-yard kick return for a TD.
OUTLOOK — Gilbert has surrendered 210 points and Perry 179, but the Tiger offense is far more prolific, outscoring the Bluejays 156-76.
Perry will need to shorten the game, doing so with sustained drives that keeps their own defense off the field while testing a Gilbert defense that will surrender the big play. A shootout favors the hosts, and if the winning team scores more than 21 points it is not likely to be a result the Jays will like, so every Perry possession will be at a premium.
DISTRICT 2
| District | Overall | Point Diff Avg |
|||||
| Win | Loss | Tie | Win | Loss | Tie | ||
| Boone | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 17.00 |
| Dallas Center-Grimes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 17.00 |
| Webster City | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 14.67 |
| Ballard | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | -3.33 |
| Gilbert | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | -5.67 |
| Greene County | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | -5.67 |
| Iowa Falls-Alden | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | -17.00 |
| Perry | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | -17.00 |
Friday’s Games
Perry at Gilbert
No.9 Boone at Greene County
Iowa Falls-Alden at Ballard
No. 6 Webster City at No. 5 DC-G
Oct. 6 Games
No. 6 Webster City at Perry
Ballard at No. 9 Boone
No. 5 DC-G at Iowa Falls-Alden
Greene County at Gilbert
