High school football preview 2019: Avon's Nick Perusek shows how to score touchdowns and influence people

Nick Perusek influences a lot of people. His teammates, of course, as his incredible junior season helped Avon get within a win of the Division II state championship game. Defenders, of course, who have yet to figure out just how, exactly, to stop this guy. And more than 250,000 people on Instagram. Wait. What? Starting in 2014, Nick has run @Insanity.Videos, an Instagram account that curates some of the funniest, wildest videos on social media. Horses in a pasture nodding along to "Old Town Road." A restaurant worker spilling coffee on the floor … and then slipping on the coffee and taking a nasty fall. The list goes on, all stuff people Perusek's age love to watch. "I take a break from it during football season," he says with a smile, lest his coaches think he's spending too much time on Instagram and not watching film and preparing for Friday nights. Truth be told, though, whatever Perusek is doing, he probably should keep doing it. Don't mess with success, you know? He ran for nearly 700 yards two years ago in an injury-shortened sophomore season and was primed for big things as a junior. He delivered — despite missing nearly half the season due to another, different injury. Perusek gained 1,274 yards and scored 14 times, despite missing Weeks 3-7. He suffered a high ankle sprain on a late hit along the sideline against Olmsted Falls in Week 2, but not before running for 239 yards and two touchdowns in that game. He returned in Week 7 against North Ridgeville and never missed a beat, running for 183 yards on 14 carries, scoring four times. "I wish he would have sat out one more week," Rangers coach Luke Durbin said chuckling. "We could hardly slow him down. We had no answer for him, but we were hardly alone in that group. He has it all: good vision, great speed and I know he's a great kid, as well. We'll look to make other people beat us, but that's tough against Avon." Perusek reinjured the ankle in the regional semifinal win over Anthony Wayne, and missed the regional final and state semifinal, a 42-7 loss to Akron Hoban. He also missed the Week 3 loss to Avon Lake, a three-point defeat that allowed the Shoremen and Bulldogs to earn a share of the Southwestern Conference crown. "It was really tough to sit out those games, you wonder if you could have made a difference," Perusek said. "Those were our biggest games of the year. It was tough to know you can't do anything physically to help out your team." Despite the freak nature of both injuries — he landed awkwardly on the hit that resulted in his hip injury and was rolled up on when he sustained the ankle injury — Perusek said he's spent the offseason strengthening his body to hopefully prevent more injuries from derailing his time on the field as a senior. That work has included a lot of physical therapy, extra stretching with Avon trainers after a lower body lift, ankle strengthening measures and much more. At 5-foot-11 and 176 pounds, Perusek said his biggest strength is, well, his strength. He tries to punish defenders by being hard to tackle, keeping his legs going after first contact. He said he and his teammates have noticed that by doing so, defenses wear down as games go on. "He's a major difference-maker," coach Mike Elder said. "We're a different team when he's at full strength, we hit a different gear. He's a physical runner, and one of the best players in the county." Perusek said he's also worked on the mental side of the game by watching film of himself and his fellow Eagles running backs. He said he spends a few minutes on each play to determine if he read the play right and hit the right hole. If it was designed to go to the A-gap but the defense closed that gap, did he make the right read? How did he do in pass protection? The exercise has helped him be more decisive in his cuts. "It's an extremely quick process when you get the ball with 11 guys trying to get you to the ground," Perusek said. "You have to do it over and over again, and it becomes instinct. Eventually your body just does it, there's no hesitation. That wasn't the case when I was a sophomore, I was more nervous and less decisive." Perusek hopes he and his classmates can continue the tradition Eagles before them have established. Avon's looking for its 10th straight playoff appearance. Making this season even cooler: Perusek's neighbor since childhood, Danny Zeh, is the new starting quarterback. They've talked for years of playing together, and now it's happening. "Seeing Nick do what he's been able to do has been awesome," said Zeh, who sat for two years behind one of the most decorated quarterbacks in county history, Ryan Maloy. "He's one of the best backs around, and having him back there with me in my first start is going to be awesome. He's a brother, and we grew up doing everything together, which makes (Friday) night special." Contact Joel Hammond at (440) 329-7135 or Hammond_joel@yahoo.com.