Perry Panthers poised as regular season approaches

PERRY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) –  The Perry High School football team captured a state championship back in 2023, and the Panthers are prepared to get back to the top of the mountain in 2026.

Head Coach Kevin Smith is entering his 10th season as Perry’s leader on the sidelines. One of the most exciting parts of camp so far for him has been the level of competition that’s on full display at each and every practice. There are first-time starters, and players fighting for starting positions, which has created an exciting atmosphere as the regular season draws near.

“I think we’ve gotten better each day,” Smith said. “We’re just taking it play by play and if we stack enough good plays together, we’re gonna continue to get better and hopefully by the end of the season we’re gonna be where we wanna be.”

“I feel like once we get it all down and come together as a unit we’re gonna be unstoppable,” Senior linebacker Kyle Jones said. “If we all come together as one whole, and buy in to what the coaches are feeding us, we should make it far in a state run.”

“That’s all we talk about, winning a state championship,” Senior quarterback Mardi Cobb added. “We wanna win state and i feel like with the group we got this year, we could do that.”

The Panthers’ first test will come at home against Peach County on Aug. 21.