KICKING OFF
Friday night lights have returned to the Valley. In a battle of top teams in the 6A Conference, D'Shayne James (2) and Gilbert Perry opened up the 2017 high school football season by defeating Keishaud White and Desert Vista 49-17 on Friday night in Phoenix. For a recap from this game and more coverage,
This is the game recap for Perry vs. Desert Vista.
What happened in the game
In this 6A football opener, senior QB Brock Purdy picked up where he left off last season when he made All-Arizona. He threw four touchdown passes in the first half, completing 12 of 18 passes for 240 yards and no interceptions. His fourth TD pass on fourth-and-3, followed by a two-point passing conversion, with 14 seconds left in the half gave Perry a 28-10 lead. Desert Vista has one of the state’s better defenses with a solid secondary. But Perry had Desert Vista defenders fooled for all but two series in the half. Purdy missed last year’s opener against Desert Vista that went into overtime, before Perry prevailed. D’Shayne James was the QB then, while Purdy was recovering from mononucleosis. This time, James showed why he has N’Keal Harry-type potential as a big junior receiver. He went up high over a couple of defenders tight-roping the sideline for a 35-yard gain that led to Purdy’s third TD pass.
Standout performer
Purdy was 19 of 25 for 380 yards, six TDs and one interception, taking the rest of the night off with about a minute left in the third quarter, when the Pumas had built a 42-10 lead.
“Senior year and everyone is pumped up and our 2018 class is talented, our 2019 class, as well,” Purdy said. “We were all excited for the start. And we’re going to get better from here.
“We studied what they do defensively. Everything was working. Overall, I was very impressed with everyone. We’ve got talent.”
More standouts
Perry WR Colby Dickie, caught four passes for 87 yards, including a 53-yard TD, in the first half.
Perry sophomore CB Andrei Mayberry intercepted Derek Kline’s pass at the Pumas’ 10-yard line late in the first half with Perry leading 20-10. That led to another long drive, culminating with Purdy’s fourth TD pass.
Chubba Purdy, a sophomore who is Brock’s brother, showed some splash late in the game with a nifty 67-yard scoring run.
Star watch
Desert Vista has the top-ranked tight end in the state in senior James Stagg. That only motivated Perry tight end Tate Speaker, who caught a touchdown pass and a two-point conversion pass.
“I gave him crap all week, that we’re going to see the best tight end (Stagg) this week,” Perry coach Preston Jones said. “(Speaker) is a special kid.”
Quotes of the game
Perry could be the Southeast Valley’s next big thing.
“We’re hoping so, but we’re taking it one game at a time,” Purdy said. “We don’t want to get cocky. We want to stay humble.”
Desert Vista coach Dan Hinds, who missed Perry last year, praised Purdy’s performance.
“The good news is, I don’t think we’re going to see a quarterback that good the rest of the year, unless we play them again in the playoffs,” Hinds said. “He was fantastic.”
Stats of the game
Perry had four takeaways, and the first team defense gave up just 10 points. Perry used reserves after building a 4210 lead in the third quarter.
Up next
Perry plays at Goodyear Millennium, 7 p.m., next Friday. Desert Vista, idol next week, plays Sept. 1 at Chandler Basha.