ATHENS — Just a few weeks ago, Clarke Central head coach David Perno was down, physically and emotionally, with the football season pushing on.
He’d lost weight. Going to and from practices and games was slow for the 59-year-old who has been battling two forms of cancer this year.
Perno admits he was out of juice.
Ahead of the region championship against Jackson County, though, he told his players that he was so much better because of them.
Two weeks after the loss to Jackson County, Perno was able to celebrate with his team again. He hugged them and let out a yelp as they walked off the field having defeated South Effingham, 28-20, in the first round of the GHSA 6A playoffs.
“They brought me back to life,” Perno told AJC Varsity Friday. “When they played like they did, it got me going. It’s been a great year.”
The Gladiators, now 7-3 in the first round under Perno, came out looking like a team that’s won most of their games by double figures. Clarke Central scored on its first three drives, owning the line of scrimmage and letting senior quarterback Kenneth Bryant III and senior running back Faustino Rangel dictate the pace of play. The Mustangs had no answers.
Rangel surpassed 100 yards and had two scores in the first half.
“My offensive line and my receivers are great,” he said. “They’re out there blocking. We practiced all week. Our quarterback can move and air it out, too. We’re so dominant on offense.”
Defensively, Perno’s squad didn’t allow their opponents to cross midfield until about four minutes before halftime. South Effingham struggled to get into a rhythm before something flipped on their final drive of the half. Sophomore quarterback Liam Coburn led his team on a 17-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Coburn hitting Semaj Calhoun, who was streaking in the endzone.
The Mustangs received the ball to kickoff the second half. Their run-heavy, option-style offense worked wonders against Clarke Central’s defense. They went on a 17-play drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock and was capped with Coburn finding Zion Easley to make it 21-14 with 4:11 left in the third quarter.
The two teams exchanged turnovers before Bryant scored on a 9-yard run to extend Clarke Central’s lead to 14. Coburn responded with a rushing touchdown of his own, but they missed the extra point.
South Effingham, down by eight with 6:06 in regulation, recovered their onside kick and held all the momentum. Three plays later, Clarke Central came up with a fumble and were excited on the sidelines as they were getting closer to their ninth win of the season.
“We didn’t panic,” Perno said. “We felt like we could score if we had to, even if they tied it up. Then when they missed the extra point, I said let’s go seal it up. The onside kick was an issue, we should have jumped on that. We were lucky to get a turnover.”
The Gladiators weren’t able to kill much clock as they gave the ball back to the Mustangs with 3:44 left. Rangel knew he and the defense needed to step up. He had a personal foul penalty, but returned to help close out the game with a stop on fourth down and start the celebration in Billy Henderson Stadium.
“Our defensive coach always talks about battling through adversity,” said Rangel, who played most of the game Friday. “I told my guys, ‘That’s on me.’ And we got right back to it and ended the drive very well.”
This is Rangel’s first and only season in Athens after playing at Hart County to start his high school career. He’s made quite the impact.
“He’s unbelievable,” Perno said. “He’s great. To be honest, we have to use him more. He played a lot tonight. He’s probably playing close to 100 plays every game. He’s a pretty special young man. He’s a leader.”
Perno has also had an impact on the senior. Not just as a coach, but in helping Rangel’s faith.
Rangel said that his coach has been an inspiration in the way he preaches and deals with adversity.
“He’s a literal dog,” Rangel said. “He’s battling cancer. Him coming out here every day, that pushes us. Our coach is battling cancer. He always preaches about God. We’re a God-led team. I said that at the beginning of the year. We kept pushing and pushing.”
The push continues into the second round, where they’ll travel to face Creekside, who beat Shiloh 69-7 Friday. It’ll be a big test for the 9-2 Gladiators.
But what’s another test for Perno and Clarke Central in this year of uphill battles?
“We might have some more magic in us,” Perno said. “It’s going to be tough. I know how dominant and really good (Creekside) are, but we have some fight in us. We can cause some problems.”