Mater Dei Ram Tough With Perry

The Los Angeles Rams may never return to Orange County, but the son of a Ram made his big return Friday night at Hawthorne High.

Rod Perry Jr., the son of former Ram assistant coach and player Rod Perry Sr., scored a 25-yard touchdown on his first play back in a Mater Dei High uniform to begin the Monarchs’ 31-7 rout of Hawthorne before 3,000.

The defending Southern Section Division I champion Monarchs (3-0) had no trouble extending their winning streak to 17 games, including two victories over the Cougars (2-1).

Perry, a junior, enrolled at Sugar Land (Tex.) after his father took a job with the Houston Oilers, but returned this week. Perry, who injured his right foot, needed medical and Southern Section clearance to play in his first game.

“I’ve been dreaming about playing for Mater Dei since the summer started,” Perry said.

Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said before the game that he would use Perry in a limited role.

That role expanded when the Monarchs needed a big play in the first quarter. On the eighth play of the opening drive, Stremick threw a short pass on a crossing pattern to Perry, who used a pick from his teammate to turn the play into a 25-yard touchdown.

Stremick completed seven of 17 passes for 149 yards.

It was Perry’s only catch.

“I felt a little rusty,” Perry said. “All I did was run patterns in the second half, trying to get back into shape.”

“We’re still trying to find the chemistry in our offense and now we have the addition of Rod,” Rollinson said, “but we still need to put the puzzle together. The one constant is our defense.”