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I have covered high school football games for 50 years, from Champaign to St. Louis to Chicago, and I have witnessed some outstanding individual performances...Billy Marek, Ryan Clifford, Eric Kumerow, Dempsey Norman, Howard Jones, Kevin King, Roy Parker, Rocky Harvey, Sean Price, Jon Beutjer, Jordan Tassio and others.
But I have never seen a better single-game performance than Matt Perez' 341-yard, four-touchdown, two-sack spellbinder in Maine South's dramatic 45-34 victory over Glenbrook South last Saturday in Park Ridge.
As a retired sportswriter, I no longer have a vote. But if Perez isn't the Sun-Times Player of the Year, then God didn't make little green apples and it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime.
There are other worthy candidates. The short list includes Hinsdale Central's John Whitelaw, Prospect's Miles Osei, Fremd's Christian Lombard, St. Rita's Jahwon Akui, Lake Forest's Tommy Rees and Proviso West's Kyle Prater.
But if you saw Perez on Saturday, in person or on the Comcast telecast, you have to admit you haven't seen anything like it...unless you were in Memorial Stadium in Champaign in 1924 to see Red Grange run into immortality. Yes, Perez was that good.
In a quick recap, the 5-11, 205-pound senior rushed 23 times for 341 yards and scored on runs of 69, 24, 28 and 26 yards. His 69-yarder came on the third play from scrimmage. He also recorded two important sacks from his defensive end position. He also caught one pass for eight yards and returned one kickoff 35 yards.
With his team trailing 34-24 with 2:28 left in the third quarter and Glenbrook South dominating the tempo of the game--the Titans ran 45 plays in the second half to Maine South's 14--Perez put his team on his back.
He ran 30 yards to trigger an 80-yard drive, then scored on a 24-yard sweep to cut the deficit to 34-31. The drive consumed only 37 seconds. After a Glenbrook South field goal attempt fell short, Perez sparked another 80-yard drive by carrying the ball on six of seven plays--on rushes of 9, 4, 8, 10, 22 and 28--to grab a 38-34 lead with 4:57 left.
Finally, he sacked the Glenbrook South quarterback and the Titans failed on fourth-and-eight at Maine South's 26. Perez scored on the next play to seal the victory with 2:39 remaining.
For the season, running in Charlie Bliss' four-wide-and-let-it-fly passing offense, Perez has rushed 102 times for 1,204 yards (11.8 per carry) and 20 touchdowns. He has caught 22 passes for 290 yards (15.2 per reception) and two touchdowns. And he has returned 10 kicks for 297 yards (29.7 per return) and two touchdowns.
On defense, he is Maine South's No. 2 tackler. He has recorded seven sacks.
It figures. Perez has good bloodlines. His father Dave was a Sun-Times All-Chicago Area running back at Glenbard North in 1976 and 1977.
If Perez is selected as the Player of the Year, he would be fifth representative from Maine South, following Tom Spotts in 1967, Jason Loerzel in 1994, Sean Price in 2003 and Charlie Goro in 2008. Dave Butz, perhaps the greatest player in school history, lost out to Evanston's Carlos Matthews in 1968. No other school has won the prize as many times since it was first awarded in 1951.
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Taylor, I have to agree that Perez is the POY. He had an absolutely outstanding game. He dominated the game.
Last time I saw a performance that dominating was Morris High School's John Dergo against Joliet Catholic in the playoffs a few years ago.
Great column. It should be Matt Perez, hands down. He has been the central part, along with Goro in '08, with Maine South winning over 20 straight games.
Osei is great, but more of a RB/Wildcat QB. Rolling Meadows' QB Jim Garoppolo has better passing figures.
Please make your player of the year choice based on the players acomplsihments on the field, not on how heavily he is being recruited, or on what you feel he will do at the college level. Perez would be an outstanding choice, and is clearly the front runner. A truly great back and a tremendous defender. Two way players deserve special consideration. The Whitelaw kid is deserving, but the other two way players that have been impressive are Santacanterina from Geneva and Houlihan from Providence.
Last year Charlie Goro, the Maine South quarterback, put the team on his back in the first round of the state 8A playoffs and defeated a very good Stevenson team in the second half with his passing after Maine South was down to Stevenson by three touchdowns in the first half. The following week after Goro dominated Loyola with his running skills in a rainy, windy game, Mr. Taylor wrote that Goro may have been one of the best high school football players in Illinois in the last 40 years. Goro did nothing in the remaining three playoff games to diminish that view. As good as Goro played last year, is it possible that Perez has eclipsed Goro in the annals of Illinois High School football? It's a great topic for debate. Maine South has been blessed to get two once in a life time players over a three year period.
Not even the best game in CSL Conference history. 387, Siaka Massaquoi, Evanston (Twp.) vs. Winnetka (New Trier), Oct. 4, 1997 52/387/5 TD....
You should have been at Hinsdale Central when Whitelaw exploded for 56 points and over 500 total yards against LT this year. Or every other game where he has carried the team by himself. I can promise you Whitelaw would have the same results running behind the line Perez has while the same is not true if Perez played at HC. There is no doubt that the best player- certainly the MOST VALUABLE PLAYER- is Whitelaw.
Jerry Ahern, Whitelaw is a heck of a football player, but he is not even close to Matt Perez. Unfortunately for him we'll probably finish runner-up to Perez in the POY award. A feeling he isn't unfamiliar with, given the results of the 8A championship game last year.
I am so tired about hereing about Whitelaw and because one kid has a crazy game he's Red grange? Wake up!
Matt Perez is no doubt a great player and no one can take anything away from him. I watched that game against Glenbrook South, and yes, Perez was something special. Unfortunately, he racked up all those yards on a very weak defense. I have never seen so many missed tackles by defensive lineman and linebackers. Now, certainly his running style has a lot to do with that, and he can probably make good players look bad. But I'd like to see that Maine South offense go against a quality defense in the playoffs. I know they handled WWS fairly easily in game 2. I also watched the Providence/St. Rita game and saw what a great defense can do to a great back. What Perez has going for him that Akui does not is a balanced attack that forces the defense to cover the entire field. And, its a good thing Perez is as good as he is because Maine South's defense also looks weak.
I have been telling Taylor and others that MATT PEREZ is a special football player, the best running back in the history of Maine South High School. The best running back in the CSC since Rashard Mendenhall. Yes it was a great performance from Perez, the best I've seen seen Mendenhall ran for 323 yards his senior year vs Deerfield. Also Mendenhall had 170 yards in the first half vs Evanston but went down with a hamstring injury. Perez is hands down player of the year. Saw the greatness in his sophmore year playing on the Maine South sophmore team.
How soon you forget, Taylor. Perez's performance was great, no doubt, but the best you've seen? Obviously you were not in attendance a few year's back to watch Morris play Joliet Catholic in the state quarterfinals. John Dergo rushed for 354 yards on 20 carries, had a td run of 81 yards, 2 td runs of 67 yards, had two fourth quarter interceptions, kicked PAT's, kicked off and returned kicks. I am sure Perez is good but Dergo's performance was legendary.
What school is he going to sign with. Any major Colleges?
Perez is committed to Indiana U.
INDIANA IS GETTING A GREAT ONE, THIS GUY HAS PRO WRITTEN ALL OVER HIM!
Phil Smith Jr.....I assume you are being sarcastic with your assessment. But sarcasm aside, I think this Perez has the ability (certainly the power and quick feet) to play in the Big Ten.
Is Matt Perez player of the year? He may well be - we will find out in 6 weeks or so. Is he the best Illinois running back this year? - yes. The real question - Is he the best running back in his house? - Probably not. Lets see if he can get 2000 yards this season like his dad did in the 70's. He would just as soon run over you as around you. If Matt runs for 2000 yards and wins the state title we can say he is not only the best football player in the state but also the best in his house.
I concede that Matt Perez is a football player that comes along infrequently in any high school football program throughout the years, and will in all likelihood lead his team to the promiseland this year. I have watched High School football for the last five decades and like many others, are passionate for the "Friday night lights." No one can compare to Antwaan Randel El of Thornton. It was as if the players were nonexistent when he weaved his way through their clutching defences. I have seen Lamarr Thomas, Billy Marek, Dovovan McNabb, Michael Turner and many more. The most exciting game changer in the last half century in IHSA football is Randel El, hands down. Ask any Big Ten defender from the late 1990`s. E
WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE SHAWN MITCHELL, JR. FROM RICH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, HE PLAYED VARSITY THIS YEAR AS A SOPHOMORE, HE STARTED HIS CAREER AT MARIST, NEXT SEASON THIS YOUNG MAN WILL BE ONE OF THE FASTEST PLAYERS IN THE STATE, IF NOT THE FASTEST, YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST, SHAWN MITCHELL, JR, FROM RICH CENTRAL, 4.3 BLAZING SPEED, HE IS THE REAL DEAL!