Pirates will showcase new look

Perryville's new junior quarterback, Josh Perreault, will enter his first varsity season having completed only one pass in an organized game over the past three years.

"The last time I threw a ball before stepping into the quarterback position was during my eighth-grade year on the halfback pass," Perreault said. "We had practiced it a couple times but I didn't know what to think."

On a third-and-20 play against Potosi, Perreault eyed an open receiver approximately 20 yards downfield, fired the pigskin and connected with him. The receiver then ran for an additional 20 yards.

The trick play, however, sounds nicer now than it actually looked back then.

"We didn't run it again because it wasn't a good-looking ball," Perreault added.

Perreault, who was a running back again during his first two high school seasons, will lead a revamped Perryville offense. After running an I-formation last year, the Pirates will line up in a pistol or shotgun formation, which could feature Perreault running a number of sprint and draw plays.

"They want me rolling out, and I guess they needed that speed so they put me in the spot," he said. "I'm a running and passing quarterback. They don't want me running all the time and they do want me passing."

Pirates coach Rick Chastain said he began considering Perreault to run the new offense since the end of last season. He was looking for someone who would fit in well with the players already on the varsity team and someone who was a tremendous runner.

Chastain said the offense might look a little different from last year, but it will keep its same philosophy by running the ball some and throwing it some. He said Perreault should be able to do both.

"He's got great hand-eye coordination, and he can run the ball and throw the ball," Chastain said. "I like to think of him as a tailback who's quarterbacking our football team. ? I think he's got a tremendous arm and I've seen so much improvement in Josh, it's amazing. We feel very fortunate to have someone like him running our show for us."

Ryan Schilling, a senior last year, started out as the Pirates' quarterback in 2006. He tore his ACL and meniscus in the third game and missed the rest of the season. Entering that game, the Pirates were 2-0. They finished the season 5-5.

Schilling was replaced by Ryan Lorenz, who competed 37 percent of his passes, throwing for about 340 yards total.

One concern with Perreault could be his size. He is 5-foot-8 and weighs just 150 pounds. He was approximately 170 pounds at the end of last spring's track and field season but dropped significant weight.

"I ran track last year, and I got real sick at the end with a big mouth virus and I couldn't eat anything, so I lost a lot of weight," he said. "All I could do was drink water and eat popsicles. So I lived like that for a week in my room."

Perreault said when he felt better he had difficulty gaining back his weight.

"Coming back from that, it was hard getting back into lifting," he said. "I spent most of my time running to get back in shape so I could never really gain the weight back."

Chastain said his quarterback is a little small, but it should not be an issue because of his ability to act quickly on his feet.

Running back Kris Cottner said Perreault is getting along well so far with all the backs and wide receivers.

"He's a dual threat at quarterback," Cottner said. "He's picking up the system and it looks like a good season. Josh is a good runner with the ball and he's a little bit more accurate of a passer than we had last year. He can make plays with his legs."

Cottner said it is nice to have another player who will carry the ball because it takes some pressure off him. After Schilling injured himself last year, opposing teams started to focus significantly on the Pirates' running game, Cottner said.

"He makes the defense key on him also and takes pressure off of me," Cottner said. "He makes his presence felt in the huddle. He steps up and he's very verbal. He'll talk to his receivers and running backs if something is not right. He leads us."

Cottner said he likes the shotgun formation more that the I-formation. It spreads the defense out more and allows him to make plays in the open field, which he said he does best.

"It helps me use my speed more," Cottner said. "And it does help out the quarterback because everything in the backfield isn't so congested. And it will allow more receiving options that he can throw to this year."

The offensive line protecting Perreault will be somewhat inexperienced. Center Chad Voelker and tackle Waylon Sparkman will return. Other important linemen include guard Garrett Leible, guard Cody Duvall and tackle Aaron Howe.