FOOTBALL
1995 Season
He quite possibly became the first player in Ferndale history (at least in the Vic Randall era) to play varsity football as a freshman.
As a backup lineman, he got to witness his brother Ash become the first player in Whatcom County history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season.
1996 Season
As a 265-pound sophomore, he was blessed with great size and speed, teams began running the opposite direction.
The Golden Eagles started the season with four non-league teams and went 4-0, outscoring their opponents 157-35. In the fourth game, a 7-6 victory over Olympia, Perrin got extensive playing time at defensive end because of injuries. His play in that game earned him the starting nod for the rest of the season.
The league schedule opened with a 32-12 loss at home against Anacortes, but Ferndale quickly rebounded with NWL victories over Sedro-Woolley (48-18) and Burlington-Edison (40-0).
Those victories set up a huge match at home against rival Lynden, but the Lions bested the Golden Eagles 31-15.
Ferndale finished the season with a 54-13 win, and finished its season at 7-2, but just missed the state playoffs. Perrin proved his worth and was named All-Northwest League Honorable Mention at defensive line.
1997 Season
Coming into his junior season there was a lot expected out of the Golden Eagles, and a lot was expected out of Perrin himself. He was now starting on both sides of the ball, and his super-human abilities were the talk of the county.
After beginning the season with a 33-30 loss at Arlington, Ferndale rattled off one of the biggest winning streaks in school history, starting with a 36-18 victory at home against Lake Stevens.
The Golden Eagles then posted their first of four shut outs of the season with a 54-0 blanking of Sedro-Woolley in the NWL opener.
It was smash-mouth football at its finest, as Ferndale had ran the ball 161 times for 1313 yards and 14 touchdowns in the first three games of the season, and had attempted just five passes to that point.
Running the ball behind Perrin was objective number one, but the now 298-pound junior was even more dominant on the defensive side of the ball.
Having recently ran a 40-yard dash in under five seconds, his speed coming off the edge as a defensive end was terrorizing to already go along with his size and strength.
Ferndale sifted through the rest of the league schedule unharmed, with the closest contest being a 21-0 victory over Anacortes.
During NWL competition that varsity defense allowed just one touchdown on the entire season.
Because of an oddity in the classification, the Golden Eagles still needed a play-in win to get to the state tournament. Five days after their final regular season game, a 48-7 win over Mount Vernon, Ferndale hosted Shorecrest in that game. It ended up not being much of a game as the Golden Eagles won 49-7.
A first round 62-6 victory over Eastside Catholic was pure domination, and the icing on the cake was late in the game when senior running back Matthias Wilson surpassed 2,000 yards rushing on the season.
In the quarterfinal round down at French Field in Kent, the Golden Eagles took on Capital. The Ferndale defense held Capital’s star running back to just 15 yards on 10 carries and the Golden Eagles won the game 24-7.
It was time to book Thanksgiving at the Tacoma Dome.
In the semifinal, Ferndale snapped the wishbone offense of Newport in two and came away victorious in what what was, at the time, the biggest football victory in school history. After winning 28-14, the Golden Eagles were headed to their first ever state championship game.
Against Lakes in the state championship game, it was a tale of two halves. Ferndale was up 17-0 at halftime, and it looked like a state title was easily in grasp. However, the Lancers made big adjustments before the second half, and was able to shut down the Golden Eagle running game.
And, with 1:32 left in the game, Lakes broke out a trick play that resulted in a 45-yard touchdown pass to give the Lancers a 21-17 lead. Ferndale then turned the ball over on downs, and therefore had to settle for a second place finish.
After the season, Perrin was named All-NWL 1st Team at defensive line, and was also named All-NWL 2nd Team at offensive line.
1998 Season
As a senior, all eyes were on Perrin, especially with a lengthy article written about him in the preseason as the “Big Man on Campus”. His abilities were also known nationwide, and was chosen by CNN/SI and Gridiron Greats as a preseason All-American.
It was another dominating season for the Golden Eagles, who again went undefeated through a tough Northwest League.
After shutting out Arlington 9-0, Ferndale went on the road and blew out Lake Stevens 58-3.
Back on the road in week three, the Golden Eagles pounded the rock at Sedro-Woolley and won 43-10.
Back at home the following week, Perrin had four tackles behind the line of scrimmage to help Ferndale beat Marysville-Pilchuck 45-7.
Double-digit victories over Squalicum, Lynden, Burlington-Edison, Anacortes and Mount Vernon then followed to cap off a perfect regular season.
The Golden Eagles, just like the year before, were hosting a Tuesday night play-in game, this time against Arlington. Ferndale fought back from a halftime deficit to defeat the Eagles 28-14, and were back in the state playoffs for the second consecutive season.
The first round of the playoffs didn’t go Ferndale’s way as Renton’s speed proved to be too much. The Golden Eagles lost 29-15, and closed out their season.
Perrin was named All-NWL 2nd Team at both offensive and defensive line, but did get a nod from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer which named Perrin All-State 1st Team on the defensive line, regardless of school classifications.
Football Career
There weren’t many more dominating linemen in the 1990’s than Perrin. That rare size/speed combination was something that people had to see in person. In 2014 he was named #130 in the Top 500 Players of Whatcom County football history.
BASKETBALL
1996-97 Season
As a sophomore he mostly played on the JV team, but he did get into a small handful of games on varsity.
He scored a bucket in back-to-back games against Burlington-Edison and Lynden Christian.
1997-98 Season
In his junior season, he saw a lot of varsity action on the hardwood.
Ferndale began the season with a 54-39 win over Stanwood, and Perrin scored four points.
The Golden Eagles then lost three in a row, but in that third game is was Perrin who led his team with nine points.
The big man then helped his team rip off a four game winning streak over Shorewood, Lynden Christian, Mount Baker and Anacortes. Perrin poured in 15 points in those contests.
He would average four points per game the rest of the season as the Golden Eagles finished out the year winning just three out of their final nine games.
He finished the season averaging 4.3 points per game.
Basketball Career
Known more for football and track, Perrin was still something to see on the basketball court. Setting screens and boxing out came easy, and he had good touch around the basket.
TRACK AND FIELD
1996 Season
As a freshman, his first big meet came at the Ferndale relays. He teamed with Billy Lucero and Bob Carlstrom and finished first place in the shot put relay. The three Golden Eagles combined for a distance of 130’2.5″.
He finished fifth in the NWL meet in the shot put with a throw of 43’1″.
He then went on to finish seventh in the Northwest District meet with a throw of 42’8″.
1997 Season
In his sophomore season, he began with a first place finish in the shot put in a meet against Burlington-Edison with a throw of 47’8″.
Less than a week later Ferndale competed against Sehome and Snohomish, and although the Golden Eagles finished third, Perrin took first in the discus with a throw of 133’8″.
In early May, Perrin captured first place in the shot put (47’9″) and discus (139’0″) in a meet against Bellingham and Lynden.
In the NWL meet Perrin took first place in the shot put with a throw of 49’10.5″, and he finished third place in the discus.
A week later, Ferndale finished third place in districts as a team, but Perrin was unable to finish in the top three in his events.
1998 Season
Ferndale opened up with a tri-meet against Lynden and Burlington-Edison, and finished first. Perrin also finished first with a 49’11” throw in the shot put.
At the Ferndale relays Perrin took two titles. One in the shot put relay when he teamed with Bob Carlstrom and Jason Iwasaki. The other was in the throwers 4×100 relay race with Carlstrom, Scott McCourt and Alonzo Dillard.
Perrin then threw the discus 148’9″ to take first place in a meet that included Bellingham, Lynden and Maple Ridge, BC.
He grabbed a few more first place finishes in a meet against Mount Vernon and Sedro-Woolley, with a 50’1″ distance in the shot, and a 142’11” throw in the disc.
Leading up to the League meet, Perrin took another first place in the discus (150’0″) in a meet against Bellingham, Anacortes and Sedro-Woolley.
At the league meet, Perrin finished second in the discus and fourth in the shot put to move on to districts in both events.
He then finished second in districts with a 152 foot throw of the discus, and therefore would go on to Tacoma to compete against the best around in the state championships.
Perrin’s discus throw of 154’5″ was good enough to finish sixth in the state at the 3A level.
1999 Season
Ferndale opened its track season with a dominating win over Anacortes and Nooksack Valley, with Perrin taking first in the shot put (52’1″) and discus (155’0″).
A week later he again took first in the discus (147’0″) in a meet against Lynden and Burlington-Edison.
He was back over 150 feet in the discus in early April with a first place finish against Anacortes and Mount Vernon.
He then took first in the shot put (48’11”) a week later against Squalicum, Lynden and Maple Ridge.
Against Mount Vernon and Sedro-Woolley he continued to inch closer to a 41-year old school record in the discus with a first place throw of 157’5″. He also took first place again in the shot put (47’9″).
On April 24th, Perrin did it, breaking the school record with a discus throw of 160’4″ at the prestigious Eason Track and Field Invitational at Snohomish. He also threw the shot put 56’0″, which was also a new personal record.
Perrin then took second place at the Northwest League Meet in the discus with a throw of 154’5″.
At districts he finished second in the discus (149’8″) and third in the shot put (50’6″), both good enough to complete at state the following weekend.
At state, Perrin finished 7th in discus (148’3″), and 12th (47’9.75″) in shot put.
Track and Field Career
The Golden Eagles had a lot of great throwers in the later part of the 1990’s, and Perrin has to be considered the best of them all. His discus throw of 160’4″ still stands today as the school record, and his 56’0″ throw of the shot put was Ferndale’s best throw in the decade of the 90’s.
