Jayden Perry has represented Fort Campbell at the state level in three different sports in his high school career. Not only is that rare at any school, but it is especially rare at Fort Campbell, where students come and go due to their parents’ military obligations.
Jayden competes in cross country, wrestling, and track and field for the Falcons’ athletic program.
“I love both the running and the wrestling,” he said. “They are both very fun, and I’m active in each of them.”
Jayden has competed at four state cross country meets, with his fastest time coming in November as part of an 86th-place finish in the Class 1A meet. He also had a pair of top-10 finishes at the regional level.
Running for the Falcons’ track and field team, Jayden has finished in the top five in three middle-distance events at the regional level. He was a key member of Fort Campbell’s back-to-back region championship teams in the spring.
At the state meet, Jayden was part of the 3200-meter relay team that reached the medal podium with a seventh-place finish.
Jayden is busy this winter, wrestling for the Falcons as he looks to return to the state tournament. He finished in fourth place at the region tourney as a sophomore and advanced to state.
He has 167 career wins on the mat and has posted a 36-16 record this year, which includes a win at the Christian County Invitational.
It’s a career that makes Jayden proud.
“I definitely look back at my career as a track state placer, multiple-time state qualifier for cross-country, and a one-time state qualifier for wrestling. I’m always there to better myself and climb up even what I thought I couldn’t achieve four years ago because I wasn’t even talked of as a freshman,” he said. “I just say like work hard, you know, put in all your effort, and great things could come.”
He also brings with him a bevy of memories from his four years at Fort Campbell High School.
“To me, it’s definitely something that I’ve enjoyed in my years here. Being a four-year Falcon is probably one of the coolest things ever. Not everyone can say they can be that. I just say cherish those moments,” Jayden said.
While he wants to continue playing sports in college, he hasn’t decided whether to run or wrestle, or whether he wants to compete at the collegiate level or just on the club scene.
Jayden is active in several clubs at Fort Campbell and wants to look into a film career in college, especially behind the camera.
“It’s something I love, and I’m very passionate about,” he said. “I would like to direct and compose the whole film. I think it would be cool to be the one in charge of everything.”
Jayden is hoping to direct his way to state accolades in wrestling in the coming weeks at state duals, the region tournament, and the state tournament.
