NORTH ANDOVER — After Week 2 last fall, things were looking dark for the Merrimack College football team.
The Warriors had been outscored by a combined 84-23 against two FBS teams, Air Force Academy (21-6) and UConn (63-17).
With injuries to the team’s top two quarterbacks, Merrimack called upon a man very familiar to local sports fans — former Central Catholic All-Scholastic Ayden Pereira — to make his first collegiate start.
The beginnings may have been humble, but the Warriors found something special in the young man who delivered a legendary high school career just down the road at Lawrence Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Now, one year later, Pereira is the starting quarterback, and one of four captains for Merrimack College football, which kicks off its season on Aug. 30 at Kent State.
“Ayden is having an unbelievable camp, especially from a leadership perspective,” said head coach Mike Gennetti. “His approach, his mentality and displaying leadership skills throughout all winter, spring and summer are really putting us in a position where we feel really confident in him.”
The former two-time Eagle-Tribune Player of the Year earned his stripes through some major ups-and-downs after taking over as QB last fall.
Pereira led the Warriors past Bucknell in his starting debut, but struggled in his next start against his former team, the University of Maine, completing just 5 of 12 passes for 30 yards as the Warriors let a 15-6 halftime lead slip away in a 24-15 loss.
Pereira didn’t know if he’d get another shot after that defeat, and the weight of trying to get the team to believe in the “new, local kid” sat heavily on his shoulders.
“One hundred percent that was hard for Ayden,” said Merrimack linebacker and former Central teammate, Sean Mercuri. “We had some good dudes at quarterback before Ayden, but he just kept his head down and kept pushing.”
Despite the doubts, Pereira kept pushing.
“My whole thing was how I was going to respond (after the UMaine game). It really was make or break for me,” he said. “I could roll over and quit, but I had worked too hard to get to that point. I knew that if I got another shot, I was going to be fine.”
He turned out to be better than fine.
After a second tough loss to Dartmouth, Pereira’s talents as a dual threat signal-caller went through the roof over the following three weeks. In wins against Morgan State, Stonehill and Colgate, he combined to throw for 454 yards with five touchdown passes, and rush for 270 yards with two more scores.
Against Colgate, he threw for 295 yards with three TD passes and rushed for 105 more yards and a score.
Merrimack found its No. 1 quarterback, and more importantly, found its leader.
“It was most definitely hard last year being the newcomer with two guys who had been here in front of him,” said Gennetti. “It’s a different deal this year. He’s taken the position and really has run with it. Guys look up to him and they depend on him more than they did last year. Now everybody knows that he’s the guy and this is his team. That’s what he wants and that’s who he is as a person.”
Pereira final stats were last year were impressive — completing 92 of 154 passes for 1,123 yards and eight touchdown passes, while throwing just two interceptions. He also added 703 rushing yards and two scores.
But it wasn’t just his numbers that grew.
“Ayden is a natural born leader. He doesn’t want us to succeed, he demands success,” said wide receiver Nick Almanzar, who previously starred at Whittier Tech. “That’s the biggest thing that has changed with this year’s offense. You see it every day. He’s so competitive and that rubs off on everyone else.”
A year ago, when Merrimack broke camp with other quarterbacks running the offense, Pereira watched, learned and prepared himself for an opportunity, while getting acclimated to new teammates.
Today, he’s working to build the trust of the 47 new players on this year’s roster, including 30 freshmen. Pereira is getting familiar with an entirely new offensive line, and running an offense without 1,000-yard rusher Jermaine Corbett and All-American wide receiver/return specialist Donovan Wadley.
“I know that I must bring it every single day. I know people are looking at me now as the guy who must bring it when some others don’t have it on that day,” said Pereira. “Just taking on that responsibility, I’m embracing that and I’m welcoming it. There are some challenges that go with that responsibility and how I handle certain situations.”
Tough situations, like stepping in after the Warriors’ blowout loss to UConn.
“Ayden has come a long way talking about that leadership aspect,” teammate Matthias Latham. “You come in as a transfer and it’s tough to get the team behind you. But he did an amazing job with that. He’s always been a guy that you get behind. He pushes everybody and who wants everyone else to succeed.
“I loved how he finished out the season. He showed that he really wants to be here, and he wants everyone else to do well. That’s being a great leader.”