Senior Tommy Perry is St. Rita’s backup quarterback, but he has found his way into regular playing time at several new positions for the Mustangs.
Junior Steven Armbruster seized control of the quarterback job late last season and carried the role into this fall, so Perry moved to wide receiver and tight end. He’s also the holder on kicks.
Whatever it takes to get on the field.
“In the beginning of the season, I started at receiver,” Perry said. “I played a bit of receiver as a sophomore, but not much. It’s pretty much a new position for me.
“It’s just a great time, always. We’ve got a great quarterback, so it’s fun playing with him.”
Talk about fun, Perry jumped high into the air to make a spectacular 17-yard touchdown catch Friday night, sparking visiting St. Rita to a 21-9 win over Willowbrook in a Class 7A second-round playoff game in Villa Park.
Nick Herman ran for 181 yards and a TD on 27 carries for St. Rita (9-2), while Armbruster completed 13 of 21 passes for 116 yards and a TD.
Justin Buckner also ran for 65 yards on just three carries and had a big game defensively. Owen Lynch had two sacks and a forced fumble, while James Kingsbury returned a fumble 20 yards for a TD and Andrew Elwood added an interception for the Mustangs.
St. Rita will host a quarterfinal against Quincy (11-0), which beat Moline 44-14.
Charlie Siegler came through with a 53-yard TD run for Willowbrook (7-4).
Armbruster and Perry connected for their TD midway through the second quarter to put St. Rita up 7-3, with Perry outleaping a defender who had him covered tightly.
It was a much-needed big play for the Mustangs’ only score in the first three quarters.
“All week, we’ve been practicing that play and I kept telling Steve, ‘Throw it high,’” Perry said. “So, he threw it high. I was covered, but I jumped up and got it.”
Perry is a former volleyball player, so he’s used to getting off the ground.
“I like to think I can jump pretty high,” he said. “I quit playing volleyball last year, but it’s a lot of footwork and jumping abilities, so I think that helped me a lot with football.”
St. Rita coach Martin Hopkins credited Perry for his versatility and willingness to do whatever is best for the team.
“Once Steven kind of solidified himself at quarterback, we were like, ‘How do we get Tommy on the field?’” Hopkins said. “He’s a quarterback who puts his hand down (as a tight end) and is blocking defensive ends and stuff. Talk about a football player.
“He’s our holder, too, and he hadn’t done that before, so he’s a guy who just does a lot of different things to help our football team.”
Perry said it has been a pretty smooth transition to catching passes instead of throwing them.
“I feel like my history of being a quarterback made the switch pretty easy,” he said. “I know where to be. It’s been pretty easy but still a little bit rough at times.”
St. Rita led 7-3 entering the fourth quarter before pulling away with a 13-yard TD run by Herman and Kingsbury’s defensive TD.
Lynch hit Willowbrook’s Kenneth Rhodes — a receiver who served as the team’s quarterback in the Wildcat formation most of the second half after an injury to starter Jahonise Reed — and forced a fumble. Kingsbury scooped the ball up and returned it 20 yards for a TD.
“To be honest, I saw that play happen last night when I was getting ready for the game in my room,” Kingsbury said. “Those are the types of moments you dream about, so it was nice to pull it off.”
Perry had his own dream moment as well. And Armbruster expected it.
“He knows where to be and when to be there,” Armbruster said of Perry. “He knows what I’m thinking. He’s a quarterback, so he knows the mind of a quarterback.
“We’re always on the same page.”
