The NKyTribune is featuring each of the 21 high school football teams in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties leading up to the first games of the 2017 season on Aug. 18. We will then provide focused coverage of our local teams throughout the regular season and into the playoffs.
By Christopher Decker
NKyTribune contributor
Nelson Perrin grew up in the housing projects in Newport. He said fights and robberies occurred on a regular basis in that part of the city so he mostly stayed inside the apartment complex he called home.
Scott senior Nelson Perrin will return to the wingback position after sitting out most of last season with a hand injury. (Photo by Denise Meyer)
“I was one of the kids that knew what my environment was so I didn’t try to go outside as much,” he said. “All I had with me that could get me outside was my bike, and my bike was always stolen anyways so I would have to stay in the house.”
After Perrin’s family moved out of Newport, he enrolled at Scott High School and quickly became one of the Eagles’ top football players. As a sophomore, he had 746 yards rushing and 445 yards receiving playing wingback on the varsity team.
He sat out most of his junior season with a hand injury, but Perrin will return to the wingback position this year and work hard to attract a major college scholarship so he can help put his family in a better situation.
He still has family members who are struggling. Recently, one of his cousins was shot and another was sent to jail.
“That’s what I don’t want my family to go through or for me to go through anymore,” Perrin said. “My drive for football is pretty much to get my mom, dad and cousins who don’t have a way out, I want them to have a way out so they don’t have to go through the same stuff.”
Perrin also plays basketball at Scott. He was a starting guard on the team that made it to the semifinals of state tournament last March. But football is the 5-foot-8, 170-pound senior’s best sport and he already has recruiting offers from Mount Saint Joseph, Centre College and Kentucky State.
“We were all excited, obviously,” he said of the offers. “My mom was crying because she knew her dreams for me and my dreams were coming true. My dad was almost crying, but he’s a dad so he can’t show me his emotions. It means a lot (to him) cause when I got the first one my dad was like, ‘You can’t stop now. You have to keep going.’”
Although he is excited to have offers from three small colleges, Perrin is still hoping for a Division I football scholarship. His pursuit of that goal hit a road bump last season when he injured his hand playing quarterback in Scott’s first game against Newport Central Catholic.
Scott coach Dan Woolley
“I felt it happen, but I didn’t want to say anything because it was my first year playing with my brother (Quincy), and I didn’t want to sit out,” Perrin said.
Eventually, Perrin could not lift weights with his teammates and push-ups became impossible to do. He was forced to go to the doctor and was told he would not be able to finish his junior season.
Without Perrin on the field, the Scott offense averaged just 170 yards per game last year. The Eagles finished with a 2-9 record after making it to the quarterfinals of Class 4A state playoffs in 2015.
“Guys really look up to him as a leader and when your leader’s not out there on the field with you it can be tough,” head coach Dan Woolley said. “He did a great job of rallying the troops from the sidelines, but there’s only so much you can do when you aren’t in the trenches with those guys.”
Despite the Eagles’ win-loss record last season, Woolley said many of the younger players stepped up and played major roles to gain valuable experience that will help this year’s team.
“As bad as it was and as much as we don’t want to repeat it again, we had three freshmen that started for us and a lot of young guys that stepped up to play for us,” Woolley said. “This year, we feel like we are in a really good position because we have a lot of guys back.”
With Jared Kelsay returning at quarterback, Wooley was able to move Perrin back to the wingback position that he played so well his sophomore year.
“We feel like the best thing is to get him in space,” Woolley said. “He’s one of those guys who is pretty elusive and hard to tackle one-on-one in space. He’s the kind of guy we need to get touches for big explosive plays.”
This season, Perrin wants to lead Northern Kentucky in rushing as well as average 200 yards a game. He’s also looking forward to playing a full season with his younger brother, Quincy, who will be another offensive weapon for the Eagles after playing a limited role last season as a freshman.
“He probably would have got a lot more reps last year had he not been a freshman,” Woolley said. “We didn’t want to bang him up too much because we know he is going to be a good one.”
Quincy has looked up to Perrin his entire football career and the sport has brought the two closer together. While they try to help each other on the field, Quincy always strives to be as good as or better than his older brother.
“Growing up watching him play, it changed how I played and makes me want to compete with him,” Quincy said. “If he makes a good move, I want to do it, but I want to do it better than he did.”
SCOTT EAGLES
2016 SEASON: 2-9 record, lost in first round of Class 4A playoffs.
DISTRICT: Class 4A, District 7 with Bourbon County, Harrison County, Holmes, Mason County.
HEAD COACH: Dan Woolley (30-26 in five seasons at Scott).
2017 SCHEDULE
Aug. 18 – NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC, 7 p.m.
Aug. 25 – at Dixie Heights, 7 p.m.
Sept. 2 – at Holy Cross, 5 p.m.
Sept. 8 – CONNER, 7 p.m.
Sept. 22 – at Mason County, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 29 – HARRISON COUNTY, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 6 – TAFT (Ohio), 7 p.m.
Oct. 13 – BOURBON COUNTY, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 20 – at Holmes, 7 p.m.
Oct. 27 – LLOYD, 7 p.m.
Other NKyTribune prep football previews:
DAYTON GREENDEVILS
COVINGTON CATHOLIC COLONELS
BISHOP BROSSART MUSTANGS
WALTON-VERONA BEARCATS
COOPER JAGUARS
