Friday, Oct. 4, 2013.
It’s a day that will forever live in the history books at Chandler High School. The Wolves football program, led by quarterback Bryce Perkins alongside standout players like N’Keal Harry and Chase Lucas – among many others – stormed Austin Field after their 26-16 win over rival Hamilton.
The rivalry aspect alone was enough to celebrate. But there was deeper meaning.
The win by Chandler ended a 17-game losing streak to the Huskies. It was also the start of a dynasty. Perkins, a junior, and company did something Paul Perkins, Brett Hundley, Dion Jordan and Cameron Jordan were never able to accomplish.
And they went on to make Chandler one of the top high school football programs in the country.
“He was the one who led the way,” former Chandler head coach Rick Garretson told the East Valley Tribune in 2022. “Teams had no answer for him, and he made things look easy. He made things look effortless. All of the great NFL players, when you go back and look at what they did in high school, that’s exactly what they do. Bryce took the lead and led us over a hump we couldn’t get over."
While the Wolves went on to fall to Hamilton later in 2013 in the postseason, the win in the regular season set a new standard: Chandler doesn’t lose to Hamilton.
That was the case every year until 2021, when the Huskies ended the Wolves’ seven-game win streak in the series.
Perkins led Chandler to a 13-1 record and a state championship as a senior in 2014. He beat Hamilton twice that season, once in the regular season and in the title game. Perkins was a standout in the championship, completing 13-of-17 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 74 yards and two more scores en route to Chandler’s first state title in 65 years.
Perkins’ legacy was written in Arizona high school football. But he aimed higher. He signed with Arizona State and was locked in a three-way battle for the starting quarterback position. But that’s when Perkins’ bouts with adversity began.
“You truly get to know more about yourself when adversity hits you,” Perkins said in 2022. “Everything I’ve done in my life was on purpose and was a big factor into who I am today. All of those experiences, everything I went through, was necessary for me to become the player people see today. I’m grateful for all of it.”
Perkins fractured his C4 and C5 vertebrae after a collision in an ASU practice. Surgery was the first option, but that could have been costly for his career. A second opinion told him to allow the injury to heal.
His football career continued at Arizona Western College in Yuma, where he led the Matadors to the junior college national title game in 2017. His performance at the JuCo level helped him earn a scholarship to Virginia, where he broke records and led the Cavaliers to the ACC title game.
Perkins signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Two years later, he celebrated in the locker room after the Rams won the Super Bowl.
His career in the NFL never fully got going. So, taking a chance on himself, he signed with the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League. He looked like the Perkins of old with Michigan, passing for 1,342 yards, rushing for 269 and accounting for 14 total touchdowns.
He led the Panthers to the UFL championship, where they ultimately fell to the DC Defenders. But for his performance this season, Perkins was named the UFL MVP.
“I am so proud of how he has overcome physical adversity,” said Dan Manucci, a well-known and respected quarterback trainer who trained Perkins since he was a freshman in high school.
“He’s continued to persevere to achieve his goals and aspirations, even after getting a Super Bowl ring with the Rams to now becoming the UFL MVP.”
Perkins opened the eyes of scouts in the UFL, and some media outlets are now calling for him to get a second chance with the Rams.
That may come to fruition in due time. But for now, the Arizona high school football community can look at Perkins and proudly claim him as one of their own. He set a new standard for Chandler football in 2014, and he continues to put all of Arizona on the map with his play at the professional level.
“Bryce has always looked to improve each and every time we’ve trained since ninth grade,” Manucci said. “HE was bound and determined over the years, in high school, college and pro to become a great quarterback who is also a great athlete versus a great athlete who happens to be a QB.
“So very proud of him.”
