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Conant's Perschon takes unlikely flight to scholarship

A lot of freshmen getting their first taste of organized football right now may be wondering what they got themselves into.

A lot of freshmen may also be questioning their football future since they're on the “B” team at their school.

Paul Perschon understands.

Because Perschon was in those shoes when he arrived at Conant as a good-sized 5-feet-10, 220-pound freshman who had never played organized football.

So, Perschon was put on the “B” team offensive line. Guys less than half his size were blowing right past him like a turnstile.

“We would do contact drills and I got smacked around for a little bit,” Perschon said. “Then I started growing up and started smacking them around. I got a little more comfortable and started to understand it.”

He grew mentally and physically to an imposing 6-5 and 305 pounds. And now he enters his senior season at Conant and Friday's home opener against Lake Park with a Division I scholarship to Toledo.

“He went from being a project to being a reality,” said Conant coach Bill Modelski.

“I couldn't stop a 90-pound guy,” Perschon said of his freshman orientation, “and now here come Division I schools to Conant to talk to me. It's crazy.”

Especially since Modelski pointed out how players are targeted earlier and earlier — particularly for Division I programs — as potential recruits. Needless to say, Perschon wasn't on anyone's early radar screens.

“Even his junior year he didn't start out very well,” Modelski said. “But he's worked very hard and he's a good kid from a good family.”

So the one-time “B” teamer found his “A” list of scholarship offers from Wyoming, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Ball State and Akron.

But Toledo made the first offer in the spring and ultimately the best impression. Perschon gave the Mid-American Conference program a verbal commitment about a month ago.

“When I went on my visit I felt I was at home with the way they treated me,” Perschon said. “The facilities were awesome and I met a lot of the coaches and just loved it.”

Perschon said he considered waiting to see if something bigger came along but realized Toledo had everything he wanted. It was a chance to play a lot at left tackle in a solid MAC program.

It was also a chance to play his senior season without added recruiting weight.

“I wanted to do it as early as possible,” Perschon said. “I didn't want to force it but I wanted to get it over before the season started and focus on trying to make the playoffs and possibly winning a championship.”

It's not easy to fathom Perschon having all of these possibilities a few years ago. He loved football growing up but his mom Debbie wanted him to wait until he got to high school to play in an organized setting.

Perschon quickly realized it wasn't that easy.

“I just expected it to be running into a guy and that's it,” he said. “I was so wrong. There's so much form and technique to it. It takes a long time to get it down.”

As he grew physically, Modelski pushed him to increase his strength in the weight room as a sophomore. Last year he moved into the varsity starting lineup and assistant coach Cory Olson and Kenny Kalish, an all-area lineman now at Northern Michigan, helped with his technical advancement.

Now it's Perschon's turn to help lead a Conant team with a talented returning cast and high hopes after a 2-7 finish last year. His mind is free and clear of recruiting pressures.

“Now I'm more of a leader and helping out other kids,” said Perschon, who plans to study business at Toledo. “All I'm worried about is high school football and not recruiting.”

And Perschon has hardly reached his ceiling as a football player.

“Recruiters would ask, ‘How good is he going to be?'” Modelski said. “I told them this kid has been on a steady rise since he walked in this building.”

That's good news this fall for Conant and in future falls for Toledo.

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com

Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.comConant offensive tackle Paul Perschon is primed for a big year personally and for his team.
  Conant offensive lineman Paul Perschon has risen from the freshman “B” team to a scholarship to Toledo. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com