Jackson Adlhoch is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Perry High School for AZPreps365.com.

The scorching hot Perry Pumas were put out Friday night at home by their 6A Premier region Hamilton Huskies, 59-34.

That loss ended Perry's 5-0 start and chance at an undefeated season. 

The game itself was disappointing for Perry, but a single regular season win is not what they have their eyes set on. 

While the goal of a game is to win, Perry's second-year head coach Joseph Ortiz said one loss is not a total setback. The Pumas still have four more games in the regular season and then the playoffs.

“We just got to go back to the drawing board… It’s not an end-all be-all this week,” Ortiz said. “We just got to keep grinding and getting better because I want to be the best we can be come November come playoff time.”

Perry’s championship aspirations are evident, but Ortiz was adamant in taking the journey week by week.

Despite the loss, Perry is still on the upward slope after three straight losing seasons, including its disappointing 4-7 finish last year.

“We don’t want to look ahead. We know what we can do this year, and it’s hard not to talk about at times, but we have to redirect our focus on what’s the big task at hand,” Ortiz said. 

Next Friday, Perry is traveling to Casteel (4-2), which has the Pumas fired up. 

“Next week we are going to be pissed off for sure, we’re gonna come out with all of this energy,” Perry starting quarterback Diesel Taylor said

Perry started its season with an easier strength of schedule. Taylor felt like this game against Hamilton was their first real test. 

“I think this was good for us, a good momentum shift that now we know the speed that we have to play at,” Taylor said.

Ortiz said a major contributing factor to this year's success is a dramatic shift in team culture. 

“It takes a year or two to build the culture that you want to have for your program,” Ortiz said. "We’re a year into it and you can tell we’re absolutely improved. We’re on the right path, we still have a long way to go, but I like where we’re at right now.”