Perry’s defense struggles to contain explosive Northeast offense in road loss

For Kevin Smith and the Perry Panthers, the 2026 season has been all about defense — but not in a good way.

The Panthers once again struggled to contain a top-tier offense Friday night, falling behind early against the Northeast Raiders at Thompson Stadium in Macon en route to a 58-40 loss to conclude non-region play.

While the score was indicative of a shootout, it was more of a blowout. The Raiders were in complete control for the vast majority of the game. Northeast (2-1) led 43-20 entering the fourth quarter, which saw Perry (1-3) net some late scores.

Northeast got an outstanding effort from quarterback Jordan Wiggins, who regularly connected with receivers on pinpoint deep balls to blow by the Perry (1-3) defense. He passed for 358 yards and six touchdowns, then tacked on a pair of rushing scores just for good measure.

One of those two scores on the ground opened the scoring on Northeast’s first drive, which was set up with a short field thanks to an early interception by Kortnei Williams. On the ensuing kickoff, the Raiders outhustled the Panthers and recovered a short onside to get the ball right back.

“It feels good just to get a win, you never know what you’re gonna get when you got an off week coming in,” Northeast head coach Jeremy Wiggins said. “We started out pretty fast and kept going each drive.” 

While it was a dream for Northeast, it felt a bit like a nightmare for Kevin Smith and the Perry defense.

“I think the biggest thing tonight is that we didn’t handle adversity very well,” Smith said. “When things went bad right off the bat, we didn’t handle it well. That’s not who we are — we’re a team that faces that and comes together. We didn’t do that tonight.”

Northeast’s opening half was, from that point on, defined by explosive plays. Jordan Wiggins completed scoring passes of 18, 30, 32 and 65 yards in the first two quarters. Oddly, the 18-yard strike — the last of the bunch, coming about three minutes before halftime to make the score 31-13 — was perhaps the most electric. Wiggins hit receiver Jaiden Center around the 15 before Center whirled around and faced several Perry defenders.

The wideout beat most of the defenders to the corner of the endzone — and shook the few he didn’t outrun right out of their shoes with a pair of lethal juke moves near the goal line. The Northeast home crowd reacted accordingly.

It was one of many stellar plays by the Raiders’ receiving corps, which looked elite in the thrashing of a higher-classification opponent. Center, Tavares Tinsley Jr., Scottavian Thomas, Jordan “ManMan” Durham and Jacory Sherman were all on the receiving end of touchdown passes, many of which also involved slick moves in the open field.

“This is a really special group. The first thing they do at practice, they get on that JUGS (catching machine) and catch about 50 balls,” Jeremy Wiggins said. “They perfect their routes. I’m proud of all of ‘em. … They give Jordan a lot of good targets to throw to.”

That group paved the way for what felt like a significant win for a Northeast program that has grown immensely across the past decade. The victory should also be a boon for the Raiders in the GHSA’s power rankings system when the playoffs arrive.

Perry had some flashy plays as well. JD Garman had a big evening, scoring a 70-yard kickoff return and tacking on two receiving touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

As has been the case for much of the season, though, it was Perry’s defense that defined the game. The Panthers struggled to match Northeast’s speed on the edge, and Wiggins’s elusiveness often allowed him to step up in the pocket despite some pressure and deliver timely throws.

“Out of the four teams we’ve played, three of ‘em probably have a chance to win a state championship,” Smith said. “We’re the type of program that wants to play the best, but we’re a young team. We’re inexperienced and we gotta grow up quick.”

The Panthers found a bit more success in the fourth quarter, but by then the game was well out of hand.

Perry is set to take on Ola at home next week. Northeast will also begin region play, hosting Jackson at home.