PERRY MAROONS
Coach: Travis Cole
2025: 2-8
Perry heads into 2026 still young, but with a core that has already been hardened by trial under the Friday‑night lights. The Maroons finished 2-8 in 2025, yet many of those losses came with underclassmen on the field gaining live reps that should pay off this fall. Eleventh‑year head coach Travis Cole knows the roster will again rely on youth and even some incoming freshmen, but he believes that experience gives this group a chance to take a step forward if it can stay healthy and mature quickly. The message around the program is simple: embrace the growing pains now to reap the rewards over the next few seasons.
Offensively, Perry returns five starters and will be anchored by a three‑back scheme designed to pound the ball on the ground and control the tempo. Sophomore quarterback Jaxon Miner (5-9, 150) moves into the full‑time starting role after a baptism by fire as a freshman, when he started the last three games of the season. He threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns and added 260 rushing yards and a score while also spending time at other skill spots earlier in the year, giving the staff a clear picture of his toughness and versatility. Senior Hunter Miner (5-9, 180) is expected to be his primary target after missing most of 2025 with a shoulder injury, while senior athlete Gunnar Farrar (5-9, 150) brings flexibility with his ability to line up at quarterback, running back and receiver after finishing last year with 102 receiving yards and a touchdown. Size and stability up front come from sophomore lineman Chayse Polifka (5-11, 210), who started every game as a freshman and will anchor both lines, and junior running back Dustin Nix (5-9, 160) is expected to become a key contributor in the backfield. Junior tight end Wyatt Carson (6-4, 190) adds a big frame in the passing game and as an edge blocker, giving Perry a chance to be more balanced even within its run‑first identity.
Defensively, the Maroons return six starters and build out of an odd‑front look that allows them to mix pressures and coverages to keep offenses guessing. Hunter Miner returns at linebacker after recording 45 tackles in limited action before his injury, and Jaxon Miner is back as a steady presence at safety after starting every game there as a freshman and posting 30 tackles and an interception. Polifka again has a full‑time role on the defensive line after starting every game up front, giving Perry a young but battle‑tested nucleus in the box. If this still‑developing roster can translate last year’s hard lessons into cleaner execution, Perry has a chance to start climbing the ladder in 2026.
8-28 – at Morrison
9-4 – vs. Alva
9-11 – at Hennessey
9-25 – at Kiefer
10-2 – vs. Chisholm
10-9 – at Crooked Oak
10-15 – vs. Blackwell
10-23 – at Dewey
10-30 – vs. Cascia Hall
11-5 – vs. Bethel
