NEDERLAND — Connor Perkins knows he is not the biggest of guys.
The senior wide receiver stands only 5-7 but forgets about that when it is time to play the game of football.
Perkins has 154 yards on 11 receptions this season with two touchdowns. One of his touchdowns came two weeks ago against Dayton when Perkins went up between several much-taller defenders and came down with the ball in the end zone.
“That confidence came from childhood,” Perkins said. “I have always been the small guy but I have always put that behind me and tried to play against the best. It never really mattered to me how big I was. It was about how much heart I had.”
It is that heart that coach Larry Neumann has enjoyed watching over the last three years.
“Connor’s attributes physically don’t match his confidence,” Neumann said. “He has always had that confidence. He has always had that high expectation for his performance. He has been blessed with quickness and speed but not great size or stature. But man, does he play with confidence.
“My recollection of Connor is he has always been that way. From the early years to where he is right now. I don’t know which comes first. Do you get confidence before performance or vice versa? I think they work hand-and-hand. He has had both his entire career here.”
Perkins might be small but his love for the game is not. He can be a jokester on the team and his emotions are always easy to see.
“Sometimes he is a little high maintenance,” Neumann said with a smile. “Sometimes you have to jump on him but not because he doesn’t care but it’s because I honestly believe Connor gets bored with some of the mundane things we do in practice. For the most part he sells out in practice and in a game. He is full energy and fun to be around.”
Perkins said he likes to have fun. He learned it from several former Bulldogs players and he is bringing his love of the game to the younger players now on the Nederland roster.
“It’s great to bring a little joy to the game,” Perkins said. “It makes it more fun and a better experience. I just like having fun.”
What Perkins also enjoys is winning. He has been a part of two district championship teams on the varsity level and he wants a third.
“I am very proud of the teams we have had,” Perkins said. “The thing that has always been the same through the years is the leadership. I am very proud of being called a Nederland Bulldog and I will represent that until the day I die.”
Perkins is also a leader this year. His sophomore year he watched as Sage Seay led the team and last year it was Austin Krautz. He knows as a senior the young players are looking up to him this go-round.
“Sometimes it is hard being a leader,” Perkins added. “Then you look back at what they did in the past and it makes it easier. You have to live up to it and take control. It is stepping up to the plate and making the best of it when it is your time.”
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Gabriel Pruett: 721-2436. Twitter: @PaNewsGabe