Week eight of the high school football season brings another tough challenge for the Perry Bluejays, who return home to Dewey Field to host the red-hot Carroll Tigers in a Class 3A District 6 matchup.  Coverage begins with the Perry Hy-Vee Pregame Show at 6 p.m. on KDLS and the Raccoon Valley Radio Sports Network, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m.

Perry (0-7) is still in search of its first win of the season after a lopsided 63-0 loss to Harlan last Friday.  The Bluejays will face a Carroll team that’s surging at the right time. The Tigers (4-3 overall, 3-0 in district play) are coming off a dominant 50-0 shutout of Creston and are tied with Atlantic atop the District 6 standings.

Despite the contrasting records, head coach Josh Vannornam’s Bluejays are embracing the underdog role and looking to play spoiler.

“Football you know anything can happen, right.  That’s something you have to install in these boys and trust the process of just saying the right things the right times and just making sure we’re keeping those those attitudes and those things we can control up.”

Leading the Perry offense is junior running back Nadir Ouahbi, who has quietly put together a solid season with 685 rushing yards.  Owen Zander remains questionable after missing the Harlan game with a knee injury.  Zander’s presence on both sides of the ball would be a major boost—he’s Perry’s leading receiver and second on the team in tackles behind defensive anchor Jacobo Cerna-Gomez.

Carroll’s identity is no mystery—they like to run, and they run a lot.  The Tigers keep the ball on the ground more than 75% of the time, powered by junior running back Adam Malik, who is enjoying a breakout season.  Malik is second in Class 3A with 1,004 rushing yards and third with 13 touchdowns.  He’s supported by dual-threat quarterback Camden King, who’s added 364 rushing yards of his own to go along with 647 passing yards.  Coach Vannornam knows his team will have to be ready against the run.

“Straight up Wing T offense and they’ll  runner up the gut and they run about shoot almost 85% of time and they’ll also pass out of a Wing T or a Wing variation.”

With a crucial district matchup against Atlantic looming in week nine, Carroll can’t afford to overlook Perry—but the Bluejays are hoping to capitalize on that very mindset.

Don’t miss the action tonight from Dewey Field.  Tune in for the Perry Hy-Vee Pregame Show at 6 p.m., followed by kickoff at 7 p.m. on KDLS and the Raccoon Valley Radio Sports Network.