By Clark Ehman | Staff Writer

When most think of high school football in Western Pennsylvania they think of “Friday Night Lights.” Games that bring everyone from the community to watch high school players fight for glory on the gridiron. For Perry Traditional Academy, the lone remaining public high school on the Northside, things look a bit different. All Pittsburgh Public Schools share Cupples Stadium on the Southside (six schools in total). City schools play Thursday and Friday night as well as afternoon games, which creates a different atmosphere for the Perry Commodores.

For over 100 years, perched high atop Perrysville Avenue, Perry Traditional Academy has established a proud tradition. Throughout their storied history Commodore teams have accomplished a great many things, arguably their biggest being the Pennsylvania State Championship title in 1989. Perry’s 20-8 upset win against the defending champions Berwick marked the first and only time a team from the Pittsburgh City League won a state football title.

There’s no doubt that Perry has an impressive athletic resume, and Head Coach Stephen Hale gave some insight on some of his experiences as the coach and as a proud Perry alumnus, his expectations for the team, and what an everyday practice looks like.

As a young team, Hale’s main expectation for the season is to “learn and get better.” With only two seniors, Hale believes it to be a fortunate advantage, which will help lay the groundwork for future seasons. The players shared the same optimism and passion. Sophomore Deonte Herring, and Junior Ramon Holiday both have aspirations of winning a City Championship before they graduate, and they look forward to the city conference games the most.

A standard practice begins at 9 a.m., and after some stretching and calisthenics the players split up into their “individual periods” with their designated coach (offensive and defensive). This segment of practice is all about the fundamentals, running through drills and covering the basic movements of the game. For the rest of the morning, the team comes together to run offensive plays. After lunch, the team repeats the process, except this time the focus is on defense. After both offense and defense are covered, the team comes together to study their in-game plays. The final stretch of practice, and Hale’s favorite part is conditioning.

Coaching at Perry since 2012, Hale has had many fond memories at Perry; however his greatest memory would have to be his first year as a coach in 2012. Hale said establishing himself, getting to work with the linemen, conditioning a few rising sophomores, and seeing their progress throughout the offseason was amazing. That year Perry won the City Championship, “the feeling of being a family was there, so that was my fondest memory” said Coach Hale.

“It’s a great experience playing for a team that’s trying to rebuild, and I’m trying to bring back the old legacy, and do what they used to do before I came here,” said Herring.

Junior Quarterback Santonio Barnett said his favorite memory was “my entire freshman year, being surrounded by older guys, and establishing myself.”

Assistant Coach Jermaine Herring (also a Perry alumnus) said since Oliver closed, the game he most looks forward to each season is University Prep. He began playing in that game himself, as a junior, and for him that’s where the rivalry began.

“Teaching is consistent here” Coach Herring said, and he stresses that it is crucial to have players who haven’t had a lot of experience come in their freshman year and develop.

Looking to this upcoming season and into the future, Hale, and Herring both expect the team to compete and grow together.

“Football is the culture here at Perry” Hale said, and he said he wants it to be clear to everyone that football is at the core of Perry’s identity. It may not always be “Friday Night Lights” for the Commodores, but a proud tradition of winning is something that Perry students and residents of the Northside can look forward to every fall.

The Commodores kick off the season Aug.23, against the Avonworth Antelopes 7 p.m. at Lenzer Stadium in Avonworth. 7 p.m., Aug.30, Perry faces Uniontown at Uniontown. 7 p.m., Sep. 5, Allderdice takes on Perry at Cupples Stadium. 7 p.m., Sep.12, The Commodores play Westinghouse at Cupples Stadium. 7 p.m., Sep. 20, University Prep faces Perry at Cupples Stadium. 7 p.m., Sep. 27, Perry goes up against Wheeling Central at Wheeling Central.