Nov 14, 2018 3 min read

Name: Cole Hunter Perry

School: Charleroi

Sport: Football

Class: Senior

Perry’s week: In his return to running back, Perry led Charleroi to a comeback victory over Mohawk, 42-13, in a WPIAL Class AA quarterfinal game last Friday night.

Perry, who moved to running back after an injury to Brayden Mihalcin, had 107 yards and scored four of the Cougars’ five touchdowns in the second half to send them to their first semifinal since 1981.

“It felt amazing. It felt natural,” Perry said.

He eclipsed 1,000 yards last season as Charleroi’s main running back but has primarily played H-back – similar to a tight end – under Cougars first-year head coach Lance Getsy.

“I’ve played running back my entire life, so it felt really good to get back there,” Perry said.

Perry gave Charleroi a lead when he hauled in a swing pass from Geno Pellegrini for a 65-yard touchdown on the third play of the third quarter. The score gave the Cougars a 14-13 lead and they would not trail again.

He also scored on runs of one, five and 22 yards in the Cougars’ 35-point second half.

“He is always a threat for us,” Getsy said. “We were doing some good things in the first half but just made little mistakes. We didn’t have to change too much and kept with the game plan. We’ve went to him in times of need, and he didn’t let one person bring him down. He was seeing the holes and breaking tackles.”

Adapting to change: Perry has welcomed the challenge of playing different positions.

While his move from the team’s primary running back to a pass-catching role was subtle, Perry’s importance hasn’t diminished in an offense that has scored 48.5 points per game. Through 11 games, he has 550 rushing yards and 521 receiving yards with 18 total touchdowns.

“At the beginning of the year, (Coach Getsy) told me I’d be switching positions,” Perry remembered. “I was OK with it. He was my new coach and had a spot where he thought I could definitely play. I wasn’t too upset. I just wanted to play it to the best of my ability.”

The biggest adjustment Perry had to make was on defense. He has successfully made the rare transition of playing cornerback as a sophomore, linebacker his junior season and defensive end this year.

At defensive end, Perry has 66 tackles, 51/2 sacks, one interception and has forced and recovered five fumbles.

“He has handled it like a pro,” Getsy said. “He never showed any type of resentment towards the staff or the team. He is one of those kids that is unselfish and will do whatever it takes to win. I don’t know if anybody realizes how big he has been for us defensively. He doesn’t come off of the field. He is just that leader that dominates on both sides.”