It’s widely considered that a quarterback is the toughest position in all of sports, processing so many different things in a blink of an eye, staring down bigger defenders throughout each snap.

The position has grown tremendously in popularity, but it takes a lot of work and effort to be a Class 5A quarterback, and Seymour has had a great one.

For his stellar performance this season, Bret Perry was selected as the 2023 Tribune Offensive Football Player of the Year.

Perry has had an amazing career under center for the Owls. He recently spoke about the achievement.

“It’s an accomplishment that I’m proud of because I put in a lot of hard work to be the best player I could be,” Perry said. “I take pride in my work ethic on and off the field. I definitely couldn’t have done it without my coaches and teammates.”

He also spoke about his career under center for the Owls.

“This past season was definitely my most successful as a player, having career highs in multiple categories while leading the state in regular season passing yards and passing touchdowns,” he said. “My football career at Seymour High School exceeded my expectations.”

The senior said it was hard to believe he had broken a couple of career passing records at Seymour High School. Perry has shattered the school record books, setting eight school records during his time at Seymour.

Perry owns the passing yardage record, season (3,427), career (6,956) and single-game mark (470).

He also owns the single-season touchdown record (41) and single-game number (six). He also has the completion records for a single game (33) and season (224).

Perry also proved to be a threat with his legs, racking up six rushing touchdowns during the 2023 season.

“I’m thankful for my coaches and my teammates that helped me become a better player each and every day,” Perry said.

The challenges on the field for a quarterback can be a lot to handle — and a lot to deal with for most. Perry spoke about some of the things people might not realize about playing quarterback.

“The quarterback has to memorize what every other offensive player is doing on every single play,” he said. “They also have to recognize what coverage and alignment the defense is in before the snap and as the play is developing.”

Perry also recently made his decision to pursue college athletics, but not in football. He signed to play baseball at the University of Indianapolis as a middle infielder.

Seymour head coach Tyson Moore spoke about his quarterback, who was a freshman when Moore took over the Owls program.

“I really can’t say enough great things about Bret Perry. His competitiveness, stubbornness and incredibly high IQ of the game has made him a very successful player and the type of guy a coach wants on the field,” Moore said. “Bret has grown immensely over his four years within the Seymour football program. He came in as a freshman and made an impact as a wide receiver. Then over the course of his final three seasons built a legacy that few others have built in Seymour football.”

Moore spoke about some of the big highlights during Perry’s tenure.

“He was the catalyst in some of the biggest wins in Seymour football over the last two decades that include snapping a 96-game conference win streak by Columbus East that started in 2007, leading a team to its first conference championship since 2001 and completely rewriting the offensive record books as a quarterback,” he said.

The coach also spoke about Perry as a young man.

“As a young man, he is no different. He is involved with a lot at Seymour High School and in the community,” he said. “Bret takes a lot of pride in his academics and helping others. I believe the challenges he faced as not only a football player but an athlete have molded him into a fine young man that will be not only resilient but tenacious when his athletics career comes to an end.”

Moore continued speaking about the impact of Perry and this senior class.

“I appreciate everything he and his fellow seniors have done to propel this program to new heights and uphold a level of accountability that will ensure sustained success for years to come,” he said. “Bret is a leader, a mentor and a winner on and off the field.”

Remaining members on the all-county team:

Jack Pennington (Sr.), Seymour: Wide receiver, all-HHC, 64 receptions, 949 receiving yards, 16 receiving touchdowns is a school record for a season.

Kyle Hileman (Sr.), Seymour: Wide receiver, all-HHC, team most improved player, 44 receptions, 729 yards, eight receiving touchdowns.

Owen Kruse (Sr.), Seymour: Offensive tackle, HHC honorable mention

Cameron Wheeler (Sr.), Seymour: Running back, 85 carries, 482 yards, three rushing touchdowns, 16 receptions, 286 receiving yards, four receiving touchdowns

Lane Zike (Sr.), Brownstown Central: Running back, all-MSC, 112 carries, 820 yards, 13 touchdowns, 87.2 yards per game led team

Hudson Fritz (Sr.), Brownstown Central: Wide receiver, all-MSC honorable mention, 22 catches, 541 yards in eight games.

Trent Lowery (Sr.), Brownstown Central: Center, all-MSC, part of an offense that produced 2,990 rushing yards.

Carson Darlage (Sr.), Brownstown Central: Offensive lineman, all-MSC honorable mention.

Jaylan Johnson Jr. (Jr.), Seymour: Wide receiver, all-HHC, 57 receptions, 960 receiving yards, two passing touchdowns, most receiving yards in a game in Seymour history with 248.