When Kevin Smith took over the Perry football program back in 2017 the Panthers had won just three state playoff games ever.
In the time since, they've now won ten, no bigger than Friday night's win against Starr's Mill in the semifinals to get Perry to its first ever state championship game.
“I knew we could win a lot of games here. I knew we could get to this point,” head coach Kevin Smith said.
This might be the Panthers' first trip to Atlanta, but it's not for their coach's.
Kevin Smith won three rings as an assistant at Northside High School, so when he got to Perry, he expected the same.
“My second year into this job, we're 5-5 and people here liked it because they haven’t won but that ain't the norm for me,” Smith said.
What they did -- create culture.
Perry's 'water the root' motto isn't just a cheesy phrase. It's about growing, and enjoying the process -- and even as they prep for their biggest game yet, the Panthers are sticking to it.
“I've coached teams good enough to get there and you don't always get there,” Smith said. “When you get here, people worry about you winning or losing, what if we lose, no, just worry about getting ready. Worry about the process, worry about the week. Enjoy it.”
This group is certainly enjoying it, which tells Coach Smith all he needs to know.
“It's just special for us, special for our head coach, special for the community because we've never been in anything like this so it's great to be here,” senior wide receiver Dakarai Anderson said.
“You come in last week and your players come in like, ‘coach, we're so excited about practicing today,’ and then it rubs off,” Smith said. “I've said it the whole time, there's something special about this group.”
Don’t get it twisted – the Panthers are here to win.
“It definitely feels like a state championship week,” Anderson said. “Everybody's got a little grit, ready to ball out, everybody's ready to go to the Benz and win.”
But in the meantime, they're humbled -- for the process paying off, and humble ahead of their biggest test yet -- Stockbridge, next Tuesday in Atlanta.
“I don't know if it's the most talented group we've had but the connection, the cohesion of this bunch, it's a player driven team, and I think that's what makes this team special,” Smith said.
Perry and Stockbridge square off on Tuesday at 4:00 inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Comments