With bigger schools interested, bowl game could be last one for Blue Devils freshman

Merced College football coach Bob Casey knew David Perales was going to be special watching him play in high school at Merced High.

Those feelings were only reaffirmed when Perales recorded three sacks in an all-star game this past summer.

“He’s got such a good motor,” Casey said. “He’s a good athlete. He’s coachable. The coaches at Merced High just light up when they talk about him.”

Perales hasn’t disappointed during his freshman season for the Blue Devils, recording 12 and 1/2 sacks and finishing second on the team with 58 tackles to earn Defensive Player of the Year in the Golden Coast Conference.

Perales would like to put an exclamation point on his season with a win in Saturday’s Living Breath Foundation Bowl at Rabobank Stadium in Salinas. The Blue Devils (9-1) will face Los Medanos (8-2) at 1 p.m.

Merced College is ranked No. 1 in the Northern California American Division and Los Medanos is ranked No. 2 in the California Community College Regional State Football Poll.

“Los Medanos doesn’t make a lot of mistakes,” Casey said. “They create a ton of turnovers. Their quarterback is versatile. If he gets moving around he’s definitely going to give you a headache. We have to try to keep him in the pocket.”

The Blue Devils defense has been able to handle the challenges they’ve faced this season, often keeping MC in games until the offense can get on track.

Perales has been a big reason why.

“Every play I want to get a sack,” Perales said. “I’m just trying to make a play for my team. I try to be as fast as I can be. After the first sack, I want to get a second. When I get two, I want to get three. I just want to keep going.”

It was easier for Perales to rack up the sacks early in the season before he became a known commodity. Through the first four games Perales recorded 8 and 1/2 sacks.

In the second half of the season he became a marked man, often having to deal with a running back or tight end helping an offensive tackle to keep him from getting to the quarterback.

“I can here coach’s calling out my number,” Perales said. “They’ll move the running back to my side. It makes me adjust because I can’t just do one move.”

Perales’ play this season could lead to Saturday’s bowl game being his final game for Merced College.

According to Casey, some Pac-12 schools have shown interest as well as schools like Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Montana State and the University of Massachusetts.

“I want to get to the next level,” Perales said. “I want to get to a four-year college and play Division I football. That’s what I’m hoping for. The faster that happens the better, but I’m going to trust the process.”

“If the right opportunity presents itself he could be gone,” Casey added. “The first time I talked to David, I told him I think he has a bright future. He’s going to be able to dictate what he wants to do. He wants to get better and I think his best football is ahead of him.”

This story was originally published November 24, 2017 at 2:07 PM with the headline "With bigger schools interested, bowl game could be last one for Blue Devils freshman."