Pereira goes out an all-time great for Central

Dec. 5—There used to be this reality show, hosted by Joe Rogan, when contestants would face their biggest fears.

They'd have to eat worms or roaches, jump off moving cars, climb apparatuses or lay in a bed of snakes. and the kicker was they also had to do it faster than the other guy or gal.

It was called "Fear Factor."

Around here the last few years, including the ridiculous, shortened Fall 2 season last spring, Central Catholic had that thing every opponent had to overcome and, yes, feared.

Ayden Pereira.

He played quarterback and he could do things very few people, if any could do on the football field.

Pereira could run, pass and when he was at his best, he ran and passed.

Pereira finished his career at Central Catholic on Thursday night at Gillette Stadium against Springfield Central. and in case you have been living under a rock, you know by now that Central was beaten by Springfield Central, 22-15.

Was it Pereira's best game? No. There have been many instances when he has doubled the amount of rushing (40) and passing yards (143) in the same game.

The caveat was Springfield Central was ready. Finally.

Everything they did on defense was centered around "containing" Pereira. For good reason.

Maybe the greatest single performance any Merrimack Valley Conference player ... in history! ... occurred 13 weeks ago when Pereira completed 24 of 30 passes for 448 yards while rushing 10 times for 154 yards in Central's 67-52 win over Springfield Central to open the 2021 season.

It surpassed the previous game Pereira played against Springfield Catholic to open the 2019 season, his first as a starter won by the good guys, 52-42. Pereira was 12 of 16 for 223 yards while rushing 16 times for 74 yards. Pereira was in on all six TDs — passing for three and running for three.

"Ayden Pereira?" repeated Springfield Central coach Valdamar Brower after Thursday night's game. "One of the best we've ever seen, if not the best. What a football player! He can kill you in so many ways. I know that because I've seen it in person. We knew what was ahead of us if we were going to beat Central. We can't let Ayden go off on us."

As was noted in the story after the game, football coaches watch a lot of video and work a lot of hours on game-planning. That meant extra bodies and extra pressure around Pereira.

Ironically, Springfield Central is noted for its high-powered offense, with junior quarterback William Watson, who has turned into Pereira's equal as a play-maker, and his bevy of top-flight wideouts, including Boston College-bound, 6-foot-3 Joseph Griffin.

But on this night it was its defense that slowed Central and Pereira down.

While the number of "wow" plays might not have been up to his standard, he had a few of them, including a 33-yard run up the gut to the Springfield Central 5-yard line. That set up Pereira's best play of the game, a broken play in which he rolled left before turning around and rolling right, sending a floater over the defender, perfectly into Ty Cannistraro's bread basket for the score to cut it to 22-15.

That was significant because Central was getting beaten on both sides of the ball, only to be aided by penalties, which called back three potential touchdowns by Springfield Central.

The one-score game, in the fourth quarter? That was a perfect opportunity for Pereira.

There was one problem with 11:05 remaining in the game. Springfield Central held the ball for 10:01, converting two fourth downs and two third downs, keeping Pereira from performing his magic.

The other quarterback, the highly-touted junior Watson, milked the clock with some clutch plays.

Before Pereira knew what hit him when Central got the ball on its own 19 with no timeouts left, he was sacked for a 10-yard loss. A few incompletions later, including a fourth down interception, Pereira's incredible career was over.

"He's definitely one of our all-time greats," said Raiders coach Chuck Adamopoulos after the game. "He's a tough, tough kid. He isn't afraid of anything. He will be missed."

Coach Brower will be a lot happier following Pereira's career than trying to game-plan against him.

"The University of Maine is getting a special player," said Brower. "He's relentless. He can make plays with his feet and his arm, and those dudes are the ones you fear the most. I am looking forward to following him at the next level. I know I won't miss going against him."

You can email Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com.