Two quick blows in the opening six minutes were not enough to lift the Perry football team past visiting North Polk at Dewey Field Friday, so the Bluejays landed a second pair of big shots in the final five minutes to steal a 28-21 victory.
Trailing 21-13 with just over five minutes left to play, junior Reece Dunlap gathered in a Comet kickoff at his own 10-yard line. Dunlap headed up the sideline, where he received several key blocks, especially a late clear-out from Janier Puente. The speedster made the kicker miss at midfield, then won a dash down the sideline, stumbling across the end line after being tripped up near the five yard line.
Quarterback Adan Medina scrambled in the two-point conversion to tie the contest, then dashed in from four yards out with 1:21 remaining after Mark Campos intercepted a North Polk pass and returned the ball 15 yards to the 15-yard line.
The victory snapped a 12-game losing streak for Perry. The Bluejays will host Nevada, a 27-14 winner over CMB, at Dewey Field Friday. Kick off is set for 7:30 p.m.
The following video highlights are courtesy of Perry assistant coach and offensive coordinator Matt Hardy.
1-3.) Janier Puente (27) had a pair of sacks for the Perry defense, with Ethan McFarland (51) also sacking the Comet quarterback.
4.) Bluejay quarterback Adan Medina followed the blocks of Mark Campos (28) and McFarland (51) to slip over left end and into the end zone for the first score of the game.
5.) Donald Chavez stepped underneath a North Polk receiver to make an interception in the first quarter. He then showed his elusiveness and good speed in returning the ball 49 yards to the Comet 13-yard line, setting up Perry’s second TD in the first six minutes of the season.
6.) Campos (28) followed solid blocking up front from Tyler Soll (67), Devon Archer (64), Gabe Cubillo and Juan Campos (in the middle of the pile) to bull in from four yards out for a 13-0 Perry lead early in the first quarter.
7.) North Polk scored three unanswered touchdowns, the third with 5:22 to play, to seize a 21-13 lead. That is when Dunlap struck, using his blockers and speed to streak down the sideline for this 90-yard touchdown. Medina’s two-point conversion run (not shown) tied the game at 21-all with 5:03 to play.
8.) After a Campos interception and return to the 15-yard line, Perry marched into range and landed the fatal blow when Medina scooted around right end for the winning score with 1:21 left on the clock.
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