MTCS had a tough game on their hands as they played host to the defending state champions, Friendship Christian Academy, in a battle of the unbeatens last Friday night.

That didn't scare off Tennessee offensive line commit Jesse Perry and the Cougars, though. MTCS won 16-14 to remain tied at the top of the DII-A classification.

Following the game, Perry caught up with VolReport.

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The win was enormous for Perry's school as they work toward their goals of winning their region and state championships.

"The game was pretty huge because we are now 6-0," said Perry. "I don't know how long it's been since MTCS has been 6-0, but I feel like it's been a long time. It's a huge step for our goals of being region champs and state champs this year."

The game plan was simple yet effective for MTCS.

With the help of Perry, it wanted to be more physical that Friendship Christian Academy. The Cougars hoped this would lead to an effective rush attack.

"The game plan was to go out and be the more physical team," said Perry. "On offense, we just wanted to run the ball down their throats. That's what we did, and the game plan worked out pretty perfectly for us."

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Perry was willing to do whatever it took to win on Friday. This meant playing both sides of the line of scrimmage and all along the offensive line.

When he gets to Tennessee, he has a similar mindset when it comes to versatility.

"Tennessee envisions me at tackle or center," said Perry. "It doesn't really matter to me. I'll go wherever Coach (Glen) Elarbee puts me at."

This relationship with the offensive line coach continues to be strong. The pair are in constant communication.

"My relationship with Coach Elarbee is pretty good," said Perry. "I talk to him just about every day. He's a cool dude and a really smart football coach. He knows what he's doing out there. I have complete faith that he's going to make me a really good football player."

Back in the spring, when Perry chose to commit to the Vols, he said he saw everything he needed to and chose to bring the recruitment process to a close.

"There were a lot of factors for choosing Tennessee, but I was getting down to the end of my spring visit list and I was looking (at taking other visits and camps), and I just thought to myself, is it really worth all this time," said Perry. "I just didn't really see that I would want anything at those other schools like I did at Tennessee. I feel like Tennessee had everything I wanted, so I just decided to call it quits and commit to Tennessee."

Since his commitment, he looked to recruit other players to join him in Knoxville and has built strong relationships with the other commits in the class of 2024, especially on the offensive line.

"I tried to recruit a bunch with the offensive line especially," said Perry. "We have five guys right now. We're just talking it up right now and having fun.

"We all enjoy each other. We have a little group chat where we talk and have fun. They are all really good players, and we're all looking to be great in college. I'm looking forward to being up there in January."

Before then, he will return to Knoxville for a couple of gameday visits.

"I'll be there for the South Carolina and Georgia games."

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