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PERRY TWP. ‒ The Perry High School gym was filled with Panther pride Wednesday evening.
Hundreds of fans gave the boys basketball team a resounding sendoff before they play Westerville North for a Division II state championship in Dayton on Friday night.
It is the furthest the boys basketball team has advanced in the playoffs. The school's 1991 team got as far as the semi-finals.
Louisville High School, which is in Division III, is the other Stark County team playing for a state championship Friday. Louisville will play Cincinnati Aiken.
Related: 'This is our time now.' Louisville Leopards leave for state finals after pep rally
"I think it's amazing," said Kelli Ohman, who was among the fans in the bleachers. "First time in school history (being in the state championship game). It's so exciting. One win away hopefully."
Ohman has a son in seventh grade at Edison Middle School and a son in fourth grade. She cited the recent accomplishments of Perry High School athletes.
Swimmer Sophie Baker placed second in the 50-yard freestyle in the state championship last month. The girls' bowling team placed runner-up in the state championship this month. The entire Perry High School boys' wrestling team qualified for the state tournament.
""It's an exciting winter that's for sure. ... It's been so exciting for the community," Ohman said. "Making history in multiple sporting events this winter."
WHBC's Kenny Roda introduced the team managers, the ball boys, the coaches and the players. Greeted by cheers and applause, they entered the gym with the lights focused on them and went through a balloon archway and two lines of cheerleaders. The cheerleaders then led the crowd in repeatedly chanting, "Perry! Perry! Perry!"
With the key plays being shown on a video monitor, Roda went through the highlights of the team's five playoff victories so far.
"It takes a village. It takes a team from top to bottom to get to this point where you're one of two teams left standing in Division II playing for a state championship," Roda said.
WHBC's Dan Belford, a Perry alumnus told the crowd, "Take a moment and look around you. These are moments (that) don't happen that often in any community. But it's happening in Perry. This is a memory we're going to start making today. It's going to carry over to a trip to Dayton. Because this coming Friday, it's going to end with a trophy strapped to the front seat on that bus when it comes back to Perry Township."
Rally organizers played a video from Iowa State head football coach Matt Campbell, a Perry High School graduate.
"When you want to be great, you have to do four things in a powerful way," Campbell said.
"You've got to dream big. You've got to start small. You've got to be ridiculously faithful. And you've got to control the things you can control. On Friday night ... I hope you take those values and have a very special Friday night."
Perry Local School Supt. Nathan Stutz said, "Through my eyes, your collective competitiveness and togetherness has carried you through this tournament run. Being fiercely competitive, being a great teammate, to me, there lies your success. ... And yet, the job is unfinished. There's one to go. Enjoy the moment. Embrace the moment. Be fearless in the face of the moment. And most importantly. Compete."
Head Coach Matt Voll went over the history of how he became the head coach after he coached at Carrollton High School and Perry's success after adversity this season.
"For what these guys have been put through and their efforts, we have worked. There's no two ways about it, it's through hard work. They were learning, all right, how to do it. And stay with it and believe each other and have the faith to do it is unbelievable and remarkable. First time ever in state history, the history of high school basketball. There's never been a team with 13 losses in the state finals. Ever. These guys are the first ever!"
Forward Luke Wolf, who made a game-winning shot as time expired in the regional semifinal, told the crowd that the atmosphere in the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse when Perry defeated North Royalton Sunday was the greatest he had ever played in.
"The support that you guys have shown just means everything to us and it's very special these group of guys right here (the championship) we've been working for our whole lives and it's something we've dreamed of. Not many kids get the opportunity to play in a state championship game," Wolf said.
Voll said after the rally that members of the 1991 Perry High School team, now in their early 50s, recorded video messages to inspire the current team.
"For us as a boys basketball program, we want to try to raise the standard. And we know there's been success before and so this group has done that. This group has made a great run. We feel like we're very blessed. We've had some unbelievable games. We've had great support. And so like I said we're very excited for the opportunity to go down and play for a state title," the coach said.
After the rally, Josh Fontes, who graduated from Perry in 2012, played on the basketball team as a power forward/center and now lives in Perry Township, said he's practiced with the current team throughout the season.
"They've just been locked in. They're extremely coachable. They buy in to everything Coach Voll tells them. They just work hard. They play hard. They carry that Perry culture with them. So it's really showed," Fontes said.
Ashlee Greenwalt, 14, an eighth grade student at Edison Middle School, was among the many students cheering everybody on.
"We have so much spirit and pride," she said. "I think we're going to win. I feel very confident about my team."
Reach Robert at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Hundreds attend rally for Perry boys basketball
Continue reading...
Hundreds of fans gave the boys basketball team a resounding sendoff before they play Westerville North for a Division II state championship in Dayton on Friday night.
It is the furthest the boys basketball team has advanced in the playoffs. The school's 1991 team got as far as the semi-finals.
Louisville High School, which is in Division III, is the other Stark County team playing for a state championship Friday. Louisville will play Cincinnati Aiken.
Related: 'This is our time now.' Louisville Leopards leave for state finals after pep rally
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Perry High basketball fans are excited
"I think it's amazing," said Kelli Ohman, who was among the fans in the bleachers. "First time in school history (being in the state championship game). It's so exciting. One win away hopefully."
Ohman has a son in seventh grade at Edison Middle School and a son in fourth grade. She cited the recent accomplishments of Perry High School athletes.
Swimmer Sophie Baker placed second in the 50-yard freestyle in the state championship last month. The girls' bowling team placed runner-up in the state championship this month. The entire Perry High School boys' wrestling team qualified for the state tournament.
""It's an exciting winter that's for sure. ... It's been so exciting for the community," Ohman said. "Making history in multiple sporting events this winter."
Perry High basketball greeted by cheers
WHBC's Kenny Roda introduced the team managers, the ball boys, the coaches and the players. Greeted by cheers and applause, they entered the gym with the lights focused on them and went through a balloon archway and two lines of cheerleaders. The cheerleaders then led the crowd in repeatedly chanting, "Perry! Perry! Perry!"
With the key plays being shown on a video monitor, Roda went through the highlights of the team's five playoff victories so far.
"It takes a village. It takes a team from top to bottom to get to this point where you're one of two teams left standing in Division II playing for a state championship," Roda said.
WHBC's Dan Belford, a Perry alumnus told the crowd, "Take a moment and look around you. These are moments (that) don't happen that often in any community. But it's happening in Perry. This is a memory we're going to start making today. It's going to carry over to a trip to Dayton. Because this coming Friday, it's going to end with a trophy strapped to the front seat on that bus when it comes back to Perry Township."
Rally organizers played a video from Iowa State head football coach Matt Campbell, a Perry High School graduate.
"When you want to be great, you have to do four things in a powerful way," Campbell said.
"You've got to dream big. You've got to start small. You've got to be ridiculously faithful. And you've got to control the things you can control. On Friday night ... I hope you take those values and have a very special Friday night."
Perry Local School Supt. Nathan Stutz said, "Through my eyes, your collective competitiveness and togetherness has carried you through this tournament run. Being fiercely competitive, being a great teammate, to me, there lies your success. ... And yet, the job is unfinished. There's one to go. Enjoy the moment. Embrace the moment. Be fearless in the face of the moment. And most importantly. Compete."
Head Coach Matt Voll went over the history of how he became the head coach after he coached at Carrollton High School and Perry's success after adversity this season.
"For what these guys have been put through and their efforts, we have worked. There's no two ways about it, it's through hard work. They were learning, all right, how to do it. And stay with it and believe each other and have the faith to do it is unbelievable and remarkable. First time ever in state history, the history of high school basketball. There's never been a team with 13 losses in the state finals. Ever. These guys are the first ever!"
Forward Luke Wolf, who made a game-winning shot as time expired in the regional semifinal, told the crowd that the atmosphere in the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse when Perry defeated North Royalton Sunday was the greatest he had ever played in.
You must be registered for see images attach
"The support that you guys have shown just means everything to us and it's very special these group of guys right here (the championship) we've been working for our whole lives and it's something we've dreamed of. Not many kids get the opportunity to play in a state championship game," Wolf said.
Perry High alumni support
Voll said after the rally that members of the 1991 Perry High School team, now in their early 50s, recorded video messages to inspire the current team.
"For us as a boys basketball program, we want to try to raise the standard. And we know there's been success before and so this group has done that. This group has made a great run. We feel like we're very blessed. We've had some unbelievable games. We've had great support. And so like I said we're very excited for the opportunity to go down and play for a state title," the coach said.
After the rally, Josh Fontes, who graduated from Perry in 2012, played on the basketball team as a power forward/center and now lives in Perry Township, said he's practiced with the current team throughout the season.
"They've just been locked in. They're extremely coachable. They buy in to everything Coach Voll tells them. They just work hard. They play hard. They carry that Perry culture with them. So it's really showed," Fontes said.
Ashlee Greenwalt, 14, an eighth grade student at Edison Middle School, was among the many students cheering everybody on.
"We have so much spirit and pride," she said. "I think we're going to win. I feel very confident about my team."
Reach Robert at [email protected].
You must be registered for see images attach
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Hundreds attend rally for Perry boys basketball
Continue reading...
