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'It's crazy to realize that's our Brock Purdy from way back when': Perry High proud of QB's NFL success

Gilbert's Perry High School football coaches past and present share praise for 49er’s quarterback Brock Purdy.

GILBERT, Ariz. — It was what no one expected at the start of the 2022 NFL season. A third-string NFL rookie quarterback winning eight straight games is now just two victories away from a Super Bowl Win. Say hello to Perry High School alum Brock Purdy.

"This is who Brock Purdy is and what he does," Former Perry football coach Preston Jones said. “You could see there was a total difference in him and other players we coached in the past.”

But to this extent? Purdy was drafted as the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft (No. 262) and labeled as Mr. Irrelevant with no true expectations from the 49ers organization or the fanbase, although that has quickly changed.

"Seeing him at this level is crazy because you're used to seeing these superstars, and Brock is such a humble young man, and he was just with us five years ago,” Jones said. “But the things he's doing on the football field at the NFL level are the exact same things he did here at Perry."

Purdy already has two playoff victories to his name and will look to knock off the No. 1-seeded Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Title Game - a reminder to every Perry Puma student-athlete that anything is possible if you work hard enough.

"That's one of us and gives you the hope that you can go chase that dream and go ball out like he is," Linebacker Jordan Lee said.

"He was in this office, in that weight room, in the locker room, and on the field,” Current Perry football coach Joseph Ortiz said. “He's been a big part of that run the 49ers have made, and it's very honoring to be a part of this."

It’s a Cinderella story the entire Valley is hoping can continue as Purdy continues to prove nothing is impossible, no matter the circumstances.

"That's a little crazy to realize that's our Brock Purdy from way back when,” Jones said.

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