Merrimack Football commits transfer QB Ayden Pereira

NORTH ANDOVER — The Warriors football program may have found their go-to guy under center. Ayden Pereira recently announced his commitment to Merrimack College on Social Media after spending his last two years at the University of Maine. The QB has three years of eligibility left to play, and there’s certainly some excitement around this player coming home. 

As a backup this fall, Pereira only saw one game in the middle of a blowout win against Stony Brook. He completed one 13-yard pass and rushed two times for a total of 8 yards.

Now, those stats aren’t much to show what he has to offer. Wait till you hear what he accomplished in high school.

Pereira completed his career at Central Catholic High School, tallying 5,551 passing yards, 68 TDs, 1,614 rushing yards, and 31 rushing TDs. Pretty nice eh?

His Honors include the 2021 Gatorade Player of the Year, All-Conference First Team from 2019-21, Conference Player of the Year in 2020-21, and three Conference Championships from 2019-2021. 

In his senior year he racked up 2,823 passing yards and 34 TD passes. Ayden also added 790 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. That same year, he took Central Catholic to the 2021 State Championship, where the Raiders lost to Springfield Central, 22-15. 

Merrimack's current QB room consists of five quarterbacks on the current depth chart. Last season, only two of them saw field time. 

Sophomore Gavin McCusker started the season at a record of 2-3, tallying four total touchdowns. Then Junior Malakai Anthony took the reins and finished Merrimack's season at 5-6. Tallying 11 total TDs and 795 passing yards. 

The Warriors eventually advanced to the NEC championship but lost their second title game appearance in a row. 

With all the hype the Eagle-Tribune has given him and the given statistics shown, This is an addition that hopefully can put Merrimack over the top to a Conference Championship. I can’t wait to see what this player can accomplish. 

Marcus currently writers for The Merrimack Beacon. This story was a special provided to TMR. You can follow Marcus on Twitter/X @antonelli7jr