By Ken Hansard
Pittsburg High School’s football team went 5-4 last season, culminating in a first round playoff loss. Stone Peery, who was at the time a junior linebacker and running back for the Dragons, could only watch from the sidelines. Peery broke his ankle in the middle of the season, and the Dragons, who were hit hard by injuries late in their schedule, saw their hopes for a deep playoff run slip away.
Now, as a senior, Stone’s ankle is healthy once more, and so is his attitude about the Dragons’ prospects, “I spent the entire off-season trying to strengthen that ankle. I spent hours on physical therapy and rehab working to get back to full strength.”
The Dragons have started the 2024 season 2-1, with the lone blip on the radar coming in a tough week two loss to Shawnee Mission South. The Dragons, behind Peery and a strong core of seniors, are hoping to make that their only setback, “We’re hoping to go undefeated the rest of the season. We have been relatively unmatched for the past couple years. We only lost to one team from our old league last year.”
Finishing the rest of the schedule without a loss is obviously an ambitious goal, and Stone knows if he and his teammates are going to accomplish that task, that he must step up and help lead the charge for Pitt, “I see myself as someone who leads by example. I try to give the younger kids a person to look up to.” Leading by example is why Peery also has a personal goal in mind, “I’m going to try and lead the team in tackles this year. We have a lot of guys on defense that are great, so it will be a battle all season.” The season is still young, but Peery currently has collected 27 tackles – 17 solo and 10 assisted.
While Stone and his teammates share a common desire for the season’s outcome, he also realizes that they have already succeeded in one important way, “The thing I looked forward to the most coming into the season was being able to see my teammates and friends every day at practice. The bond we have developed is something that is very hard to replicate.”
When he is not building memories with his friends on the football field, Stone spends time with his teammates on the wrestling mat, serving as the Dragons’ captain. To date, he has been a league runner-up, league champion, and he is a two-time state qualifier.
Stone is still undecided as to what life after high school will look like, but he currently wants to go to college to pursue a career in construction management or general electricity.
