‘Unbelievable.’ A running back and his ballet-like moves kept Middleton in first place
Jake Perez claims he’s not a dancer.
He sure fooled everyone Friday night.
The Middleton senior provided a game-changing play worthy of a place on Broadway, magically staying on his feet during a 55-yard touchdown run that propelled the Vikings to a 21-14 win over Timberline on homecoming.
Perez finished the night with 275 rushing yards and two touchdowns. But the play everyone will remember came as he broke a 7-7 tie early in the fourth quarter when he leapt over two defenders.
One foot caught a defender, sending him into a 360-degree spin. But Perez somehow stayed on his feet, used one arm to avoid the turf and then — get this — rose between the legs of the last defender before outrunning everyone else for the momentum-swinging score.
“He’s a beast,” Middleton senior defensive back Weston Mills said. “He does not go to the ground. He’s definitely the one that broke down the wall for us to win this game.”
The move looked more at home in a ballet studio than on a football field. Middleton coach Bill Brock could only shake his head when asked to describe the play.
“We feel like he’s one of the better players in the league,” Brock said. “He just hadn’t had a chance to break out like he did. … Unbelievable. He’s an incredible athlete.”
Perez certainly got his chance Friday. A gusting 30 mph wind created tough conditions for either team to throw the ball. After finding little success through the air before halftime, Middleton (4-2, 3-0 6A SIC Foothills) relied almost exclusively on its ground game in the second half.
The Vikings ended the game with 21 straight running plays, handing it off 27 times on 29 offensive plays after halftime. The strategy paid off as Middleton’s offensive line quickly wore out the Wolves’ defense. The Vikings finished the night with 329 yards on the ground, including 230 in the second half at 8.5 yards per carry.
“We run the ball,” Perez. “We run first, and then it opens up everything else.”
Middleton’s defense also had a field day, picking off four passes from Timberline quarterback Jack Brant. Mills pulled in two himself, and linebacker Drew Holman added two s the Vikings rose to the occasaion every time Timberline threatened to rally.
A potential fifth interception bounced off Kaiston McIntosh’s hands and into the gut of Timberline receiver Hudson O’Kelley to pull the Wolves within seven points with 36 seconds left. But Middleton’s Tyke Harper recovered the ensuing onside kick.
“We were preparing all week,” Mills said. “We know the quarterback. We know who he is, and we played coverages that he wouldn’t be able to recognize.
“So we really were messing with his brain, faking coverages, playing different zones that he didn’t know. I feel like he didn’t know what we were doing when he saw us lined up.”
The victory kept Middleton in a tie atop the 6A SIC Foothills Division and set up a battle for first place with No. 1-ranked Rocky Mountain (6-0, 3-0) next week in Meridian. A win there would clinch the division title for the Vikings and a spot in the league championship game.
“We’ll find out exactly where we’re at next week,” Brock said. “This puts us in a pretty good position as far as hosting a (Week 9) crossover game. So that’s a good one. And it puts us in a position to win our pod, which is ginormous.”
TIMBERLINE LEADERS
The Wolves (4-2, 2-1) rolled the dice several times Friday, attempting an onside kick to start the second half and a fake punt at their own 25-yard line. But Timberline came up empty both times and struggled to find an offensive rhythm all night.
Brant finished 15-for-37 for 269 and two touchdowns to go with the four interceptions, including one on each of the Wolves’ final three drives. O’Kelley hauled in four passes for 93 yards and a score, and Hudson Lewis turned three catches into 81 yards.
But Timberline still remains in control of its playoff destiny. It hosts Centennial (0-6, 0-3) on Thursday for senior night before wrapping up the regular season at Rocky Mountain.
“There’s no time to feel sorry for ourselves,” Timberline coach Ian Smart said. “It’s really just learn and make a push. Our big goal from the beginning is just trying to make a push to make a playoff run and give ourselves a chance.
“That’s all we want.”
This story was originally published October 5, 2024 at 12:17 AM.
