Perry’s football program is trying to turn the page, and the pieces are finally in place for a real push back toward the top.
The Pumas know what that level looks like. They played in back-to-back Class 6A state championship games in 2017 and 2018, but they haven’t been back since.
Since that second title-game run, Perry has gone 31-42 and finished with a winning record only once. The last two seasons have ended at 6-6.
Now the reset has a new face on the sideline. Former Mesa coach Jeremy Hathcock took over in January after replacing Joseph Ortiz, who went 24-23 in four seasons at Perry. Hathcock arrived after guiding Mesa to a 7-5 mark and the Class 6A quarterfinals last season, a run that included a win over Perry.
Early signs under Hathcock have been promising. Perry won the University of Arizona 7-on-7 Tournament in June, then opened the regular season with a 64-0 rout of Cactus Canyon.
The biggest reason for optimism was already there when Hathcock got to campus: quarterback Kael Snyder. The Boise State commit is back for his senior season after throwing for 2,270 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior.
That kind of production at quarterback naturally brings back memories of Brock Purdy, who starred at Perry before becoming the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback and helping lead the Pumas to the 2017 Class 6A state championship game. Snyder is not being asked to follow Purdy’s exact path, but he’s clearly a central piece of Perry’s attempt to get back into the conversation.
“Kael is a special individual,” Perry head coach Jeremy Hathcock told Epic Sports Network this week. “The amount of focus he has, the attention to detail.
His ability to process the entire outlook. I feel like we put so much on Kael, the quarterback position can be really tough.”
Snyder wasted no time in the opener, throwing for 129 yards and two touchdowns on six attempts. He also added two rushing scores before exiting early with Perry already in control.
The 64-0 start was a strong first step, but Friday brings a much bigger test. Perry travels to Las Vegas to face the Centennial Bulldogs, who are ranked No. 8 in Nevada by High School On SI. The game is set for Sept. 4, with kickoff at 7:00 p.m. local.
Hathcock made it clear the Pumas wanted a real challenge.
“We looked for the best opponent we could find, with my late arrival,” Hathcock said. “Centennial is a solid team. They are scoring 60 points a game; they have explosive talent”
Perry also knows what happened the last time it stepped outside Arizona. The Pumas lost their out-of-state game last season to California’s Granite Hills. A win in Las Vegas would give Perry a much-needed jolt, especially with a Week 3 matchup against a top-five Hamilton team coming next.
That’s why this trip feels like more than just another nonconference game. It’s a measuring stick, a chance to see whether the Pumas’ early momentum is real.
“Some people say Vegas Ball is not great,” Hathcock said. “I’m looking at them like, ‘oh my gosh, they are as talented a group as we are going to see in a while.”
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