Mary Persons blasts Perry for another championship

Mary Persons needed a win Friday to officially clinch its second region title in a row.

That matter was quickly decided at Dan Pitts Stadium as the Bulldogs scored early and pounced on mistakes by the Panthers to win 49-7 after leading 42-0 at halftime.

Mary Persons started five of its first-half drives on the Perry side of the field and got 21 points off turnovers and special teams missteps by the Panthers.

The Bulldogs need just three plays from scrimmage to lead 14-0 on runs of 20 and 11 yards by Zach Harvey and a 67-yard pass from Caleb Speir to Jatori Sims made it a quick 28-0 Mary Persons lead, and the rout was on, and Harvey kept going with a 2-yard score as he finished with 73 yards and four touchdowns on six carries.

A running clock was put in place in the second half as Perry (3-6, 1-3) officially was eliminated from postseason contention.

Three who mattered

Harvey: He didn’t have gaudy numbers, but the Bulldogs’ tailback was the epitome of clutch, scoring from 20, 11, 2 and 12 yards to cash in on Mary Persons’ scoring chances.

Sims: Sims found a variety of ways to get into the end zone on Friday, getting a touchdown running and receiving and on a kickoff return. Sims is known to be a threat when he can get the ball in space, and he showed why Friday. First, there was the 67-yard touchdown, when he corralled a pass from Speir in the flat and outraced Perry defenders for the score. A 24-yard run on an end-around capped a dominant scoring stretch for Mary Persons in the first half as it led 42-0 at the break. He then open the second half by flying through the Perry kickoff coverage unit for a 97-yard kickoff return.

Damion Bagley: The Panthers quarterback got Perry on the board with some razzle dazzle to cap a resilient night in which he rushed for 87 yards and threw for 25. Lining up at receiver in the fourth quarter, he hauled in a pass from Christian Corbett to get into the end zone from 22 yards.

Turning point

Mary Persons went for the knockout punch early and landed a heavy blow. Already up 7-0, a pooch kick on the kickoff was recovered by the Bulldogs Tyricus Danielly. The Bulldogs scored two plays later to lead 14-0.

Observations

Not helping themselves: When a team is in an underdog role, mistakes can be ill afforded. Perry was unable to avoid them Friday with 21 first-half points being scored off of turnovers or special teams. A dropped snap and tackling of the punter on the Panthers’ first drive set Mary Persons up at the 20-yard line, and the Bulldogs scored on the next play. A forced fumble of Khalil Alexander was returned to the 2-yard line by Jatorian Hansford, and Harvey ran it in two plays later for the third Mary Person touchdown.

Making it quick: It didn’t take long for Mary Persons to establish itself, running out to a 28-0 lead on a total of six offensive plays from scrimmage. Of those scoring drives, none last more than two plays. Field position played a major role as of the scores, just one of them spanned more than 25 yards — the 67-yard pass from Speir to Sims.

Steering clear of injuries: The Bulldogs were able to rest their starters in the second half with the running clock in effect, giving younger players playing time and allowing starters to avoid injury.

They said it

Mary Persons head coach Brian Nelson on the win: “We kind of got some things rolling early. Of course, there were some things that led to that. They had that dropped punt snap, and we covered a kickoff. But for the most part, I was pleased with how we executed. We did some things better. We caught the ball batter, we didn’t put it on the ground as much. Some of those things that we’ve been talking about and working on, we did those things better.”

Nelson on the team’s overall focus coming off last week’s win at West Laurens: “We had a big game last week, and my biggest concern was just our kids staying focused and knowing what’s at stake and being able to come out and play hard and play focused, and I was pleased with their ability to do that and kind of handle their business a little bit.”

Nelson on the region title: “We haven’t even talked about it with this team much, I didn’t even mention it (in the locker room after the game). We’re going to kind of play every game and not think about it too much. But when I took over here a few years ago, that’s what we talked about, is getting Mary Persons back to that level. And it’s because we’ve got good community support, a good coaching staff, and it’s because we’ve got good players, and all of those things make a difference.”

Sims on winning two region titles in a row: “It feels really great, I can’t wish to have a better team to share it with.”

What’s next?

Mary Persons concludes the regular season next week as it hosts Howard. Perry hosts West Laurens.

This story was originally published October 28, 2016 at 10:23 PM with the headline "Mary Persons blasts Perry for another championship."