The Perry Bluejays traveled to Gilbert Friday night and the Tigers were as good as advertised as they defeated Perry 35-0.
Gilbert came into the game ranked 6th by the Des Moines Register in Class 3A. The Tigers scored late in the 1st quarter on a 34 yard run by QB Jared Gescheidler, the first of 5 rushing TDs by the 6’2 225 senior. He added a 5 yard run in the 2nd quarter to make the score 14-0. The Bluejays were mounting a drive after the score, getting the ball to the Tiger 34 yard line when a questionable intentional grounding penalty was called on the Bluejays. The penalty pushed Perry back into their own territory and on the very next play, a tipped ball off the hands of WR Tai Lucas was picked off and returned across the 50 yard line. A few plays later, Gescheidler went 10 yards for his 3rd TD. On the ensuing kickoff, Will Whiton lost the ball and it was recovered by the Tigers at the 26 yard line. Two plays later Gescheidler had his 4 TD on the night, a 2 yard run to make the score 28-0 at the half.
It stayed that way until the last minute of the 3rd quarter when Gescheidler went on a spectacular 90 yard run, crisscrossing the field and then outrunning the Jay defenders to end zone to cap his night and the scoring, giving Gilbert the 35-0 lead.
Gescheidler unofficially had 207 yards rushing on 12 carries. He was 8-15 for 128 yards passing. Whiton lead Perry’s offense with 114 yards on 21 carries. He was 3-7 for 38 yards passing. Junior RB Eli Saemisch had his best offensive game so far with 10 carries for 53 yards, before leaving the game with an ankle injury late. Defensively, end Solomon Pierce had a strong game as did defensive lineman Joe Olvera and Jorge Soto.
Perry will begin their playoff push next Friday as they welcome in the Boone Toreadors to Dewey Field for Homecoming. Boone will come into the game 0-3, with 3 one-sided losses. Perry will drop to 1-2 overall with the rest of the games all being against district opponents. Pre-game coverage begins at 7PM with the Jason Olejniczak show, with kickoff to follow at 7:30.