Linebacking trio stands tall in battle

GREENBRIER -— A familiar slogan hits home for a group of local linebackers.

The Panthers’ Zac Perry, Colt Talley and Trent Virden may appear to be undersized for their position, but don’t tell them that. So goes the slogan, “It doesn’t matter the size of the dog, but the fight in the dog.”

“With our size, people might think we’re some Chihuahuas, but when we look in the mirror, we’re some pit bulls,” Perry said. “We like to hit people. Our line do a good job of keeping people off of us, so we can go make the play. Michael Monton, Matt Cain, Jared Govia and Ryan Alexander all do a good job of making plays on the line.”

Talley, the team’s leading tackler with 101, doesn’t mind proving that their unit should be considered with some of the best in Class 5A.

“My first concern is to get our linemen lined up right,” Talley said. “Next, we just try to be physical and hit people in the mouth. We try to be the most physical group out there.” Talley and Virden are juniors, and Perry has at least has one more game guaranteed in his high school football career. Tribble is known in coaching circles for his offensive mind, out of the spread attack, but the Panthers have made improvements in the 4-3 scheme.

“Fortunately for us, we have those three guys,” Greenbrier defensive coordinator Alan Buchanan said. “Zac, being a senior, has been through some bad things. He has a big responsibility in our defense. He makes a lot of checks. Trent is really good in space, and Colt has good feet. If you see someone moving the pile backwards, then it’s probably Colt Talley.”

Virden suffered an injury at the beginning of the season, but since his return in the second week of the season, he’s hit the ground running. Virden is tied for seventh on the team in tackles, with 51. He’s third on the team in tackles for loss, with a four, which puts him behind Cain (7.5) and Perry (4.5).

“It’s been fun,” Virden said. “We try to go out and do the best we can do and make plays.”

Perry is second on the team in tackles with a total of 86, which includes a team-high 61 assisted tackles. Talley also leads the team in unassisted tackles with 42. 

“All three of those guys are physical, and they’re good tacklers,” Tribble said. “We try to keep Colt and Perry in the box, so we can have Virden play more in coverage. They really understand what we’re trying to do on defense, and they do their roles.”

Perry has been a Panther through-and-through, hanging in there when wins were hard to come by. As a sophomore, Perry endured the entire 2007 season without a win. The Panthers were 1-9 just a season ago.

“It feels amazing,” Perry said. “Before, I had friends at other schools and they would tell me that I needed to change schools and go play somewhere else. I didn’t listen to them because I’ve always wanted to stay here and win at Greenbrier. Now, we’re still practicing while everybody else is at home.”

Talley, a soft-spoken duck hunting specialist, feels like the Panthers have a chance to go to War Memorial Stadium and play for the coveted 5A state championship next week.

“We’re pretty confident,” Talley said. “We study so much film on our opponent. I believe we know more about our opponent, then they know themselves. Honestly, I think our team works harder than anybody in the state when it comes to studying and breaking down film.”