By John R. Schirmer
News-Leader staff
Scrapper quarterback Sloan Perrin was named the team’s Most Valuable Player Saturday, Jan. 30, at the Rotary Football Banquet.
Perrin helped lead the Scrappers to a 10-4 record and a berth in the Class 4A state semifinals. The senior received All-District and All-State honors and signed a letter-of-intent to play for the Harding University Bisons.
Coach Mike Volarvich said Perrin “works extremely hard at practice and off the field.”
Perrin transferred to Nashville two summers ago. “Unfortunately, he was hurt most of his junior year,” Volarvich said. Perrin was injured in the season opener at Pleasant Grove, Texas, and saw limited duty later in the season.
He was back for off-season and started every game his senior year.
Rotary Club President Jim Pinson presented the MVP trophy to Perrin at the conclusion of the banquet.
Perrin and senior Alex Mendiola were named Permanent Team Captains. “They showed up every day at practice and were team leaders,” Volarvich said. Mendiola and Perrin “are the epitome of the Scrapper student-athlete.”
Volarvich reviewed the Scrappers’ season, which featured a marked turn-around from the previous year which saw Nashville go 4-6 and miss the playoffs for the first time in 30 years.
“Coming into this season, we were picked fourth in our conference,” Volarvich said of rankings which came out during the summer. “We wound up in the top four in the state. We often say it’s not where you start but where you finish. The most talented teams don’t always win championships. It’s the teams with heart, a strong work ethic, a good attitude. This team had a special mix week in and week out.”
Volarvich said the Scrappers were “a very unselfish group. They celebrated each others’ success more than their own. This team exemplified a bunch of guys who were just as happy when somebody else excelled.”
The Scrappers advanced to the state semifinals for the second time since 2007. Their only other appearance in that time came in 2015.
Players made significant additions to the Scrapper record book which goes back to 1910, Volarvich said.
The team set five records and placed first or second in 14 categories and made the top five in 23 others, according to Volarvich.
Some of the top performances include the following:
Most rushing yards in a game, 523 at Elkins.
Longest run ever Perrin, 96 yards at Pocahontas.
Most rushes, 65, also at Elkins.
Third longest run ever Malik Matthews, 92 yards
Second most touchdowns in a game, 11.
Second most total yards ever, Elkins.
Sixth most yards, Hope.
Second ever in total plays for the season at 850.
Second in average number of plays per game, 60.7.
Second in rushing yards in a season, 4,392.
Second in rushing attempts, 594.
Second in rushing touchdowns, 59.
Second in rushing yards per game, 313.
Second in rushing yards by a duo, Perrin and Tre Hopkins with 3,057 yards.
Perrin and Hopkins were the Scrappers’ co-offensive backs of the year.
A number of other awards were presented by the coaching staff, including the following:
Special teams player of the year – Tyler Brown
Practice players of the year – Offense, Landon Arbuthnott; Defense, Walker Chesshir
Most valuable defensive back – Toddrick Watson
Most valuable defensive lineman – Miles Jordan
Linebacker – Kelvin Flowers
Wide receiver – Alex Mendiola
Offensive lineman – Kason Willard
