PERRY, Ga. — The Perry Panthers are looking to get to 7-1 Friday night, and one step closer to a second straight region title. This year's team is special -- for a few different reasons.
For the first time in a long time, the Perry Panthers are more than just a flash in the pan.
2020 saw them win their first region title since 1959. A year later, the only question remains, "Can it be done again?"
"What we're trying to do is stack seasons. Perry hadn't had this much success at five years in a row. They've always had 1 or 2 good seasons and be down. We're trying to stack seasons," said Coach Kevin Smith.
Smith has coached in Houston County for years, going back to his days at Northside. He's seen Perry at close to its worst, but this year, he says it was time for a change.
"To get in here and start digging -- the first thing we had to do was start winning in the locker room, building a positive culture," said Smith.
Building that culture back starts not with the coaches, but with players like Daequan Wright.
"We take ownership in that locker room. Every Monday after like a Friday night game, we have a little meeting, and if people from that Friday were acting up on the sidelines, something like that, he'll open the floor, and tell them, 'If you did something wrong, own up to it,'" said Wright.
As for how special another region title would, it's not just Coach Smith who gets it.
Wright says, "It would mean a lot. I've been in Perry my whole life and this is the only one I got to see, so winning another one would mean a lot."
They have the locker room and the experience -- the only key now is remembering they still have three games to play.
"We're gonna keep watering the root. The fruit's way down at the end of the root. We're gonna keep watering the root, one play at a time," Coach Smith said.
"If we do us, we'll win out, but like Coach said, we're gonna stay humble, though, but if we do us, we should win out," Wright said.
Monday's players-only meeting was definitely something new that guys like Wright and Gordon helped start this year, making it really clear how much this team cares about turning the program around, and it seems to be helping out a bit with Perry looking for win number 7 Friday night.