When Kelvin Perkins got his first start in Week 6 of his Southwind freshman season, his mother, Teriyuanda Parson, was nervous for the first time in Perkins’ football career. Though Perkins did play quarterback at Havenview Middle, he was mainly an athlete.
Parson was nervous about what his future at quarterback would look like. She had all the confidence he’d succeed in football regardless of what position he played.
“Everybody was telling me that quarterbacks don’t go to college from Memphis,” Parson said.
In his first start last year, Perkins, a 6-foot, 180-pound sophomore, threw for over 300 yards against Memphis Central, helping the Jaguars win 20-14.
“I knew he was special and (that) just re-affirmed it,” second-year Southwind coach Jerome Griffin said.
Parson’s nerves began to fade.
She sees what her son is capable of as a quarterback.
Southwind (13-0) is in the school’s first undefeated season and deepest playoff run since the football program became a TSSAA member school in 2009.
Southwind plays at Page (12-1) in the TSSAA Class 5A semifinals on Friday night. Page has been 5A state runner-up the past two years.
More: Predicting the winners of every 2023 TSSAA football semifinal game
“Right now, he’s on the level of a senior as far as reading coverages and stuff,” Griffin said. “… Some kids just got it. He’s one of those kids that’s got it.”
Before the season, Perkins didn’t know what the Mr. Football award was. He holds offers from Bluefield University and Eastern Kentucky.
Now, he’s a semifinalist for the Tennessee Titans Class 5A Mr. Football award.
“Just got to make a statement for myself,” Perkins said. “… I wasn’t worried about being unknown because I know once we come out here and ball out, the stats are going to speak.”
Perkins is confident in himself. It’s why he studies game film relentlessly and why he spent time working on his chemistry with this wide receivers in the offseason. And it’s why Griffin was ready to build the offense around Perkins this year.
Last year, Southwind scored 30 or more points in just two games. This year, Perkins has engineered an offense that averages 43.3 points per game.
“We had a lot of time to break down stuff, work on mechanics, reads and stuff,” Griffin said. “So having that (spring season) and playing five games … we put it all together.”
Perkins and Parson spent time figuring out what some attainable goals would be for Perkins this season. Based on how Memphis area quarterbacks did last year, they settled on 25 passing touchdowns and 1,500 yards; loft expectations for Perkins first full season under center.
He’s shattered that this year with 45 passing touchdowns, rushing for 11 more and throwing for 2,667 yards with just two interceptions.
“I know what I’m capable of,” Perkins said. “I know what I can do.”
Reach Wynston Wilcox at [email protected] and on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @wynstonw__.
2023-11-22 11:08:04
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