Perry Holds Off Mountain Pointe 30-27 in 6A Playoff Thriller
John Wrenn Stadium, Gilbert — November 9, 2023
Perry needed every bit of its defense to survive a tightly contested first-round matchup with Mountain Pointe in the 2023 6A playoffs, holding on for a 30-27 win on November 9 at John Wrenn Stadium in Gilbert.
Mountain Pointe pushed Perry throughout the game, and the Pumas' margin for error shrank as the fourth quarter wore on. It was Perry's defense that ultimately made the difference, forcing a turnover late in the game to seal the win and end Mountain Pointe's season. Linebacker Maddox Ford led the defensive effort with two sacks, part of a three-sack performance from the Perry front that kept Mountain Pointe's offense off schedule all night.
The three-point margin made for one of the tighter first-round finishes across the 6A bracket that postseason, a reminder that in a conference as deep as 6A, there are no easy outs once the playoffs begin — even in the opening round.
For Perry, the win kept its championship hopes alive for at least another week, a season that would ultimately continue deeper into the playoffs on the strength of the same kind of defensive execution that got the Pumas past Mountain Pointe.