Natchez — Adams County Christian School’s Christopher Perry suffered a serious elbow injury playing catcher his freshman year of high school, but it was not until the summer before his senior year that he knew the extent of his arm problem.

Perry said from the time he heard his arm pop when he was making a throw to cut down a would-be base stealer, he has had issues with his elbow while playing baseball.

“I remember exactly when I hurt it,” Perry said. “I was catching and went to throw the ball down. The trainer came out and looked at it, and we thought it was a pulled muscle or a strain. We really couldn’t tell.”

Perry said he finally went to the doctor after he continued to have issues throwing the ball this season, and found out that he needed Tommy John surgery to reconstruct ligaments in his elbow.

“I am just now finally getting over (the injury) because of surgery,” he said. “When I damaged it, I didn’t realize how bad it was.”

Perry said he had his surgery on April 28 and has already completed his rehabilitation. He started lifting weights to prepare for football season last Thursday.

“I started working with both arms Thursday,” he said. “I am a lot weaker in my right arm, and I have to get the strength back.”

Perry is a fullback and linebacker for the Rebel football team.

Perry said he was forced to wear a sling on his arm for a few weeks, and then had to wear a brace for another two weeks. The brace came off three weeks ago, he said.

He was so determined to get back to full strength this offseason that his doctors had to reduce the number of days he was going to rehab from three to one, Perry said.

“I was trying to get back too fast. I thought the more I worked it the better it would get.”

Perry said the Rebels begin work outs and 7-on-7 next week, and his arm will be ready to go.

“The doctor said I am in full swing, I just can’t throw a baseball,” he said.

Perry said the doctor told him he could resume baseball activities around the time football season ends.

“He just wants me to lay off baseball right now. He doesn’t want me to throw,” Perry said.

Perry said he will have to wear a protective brace this season during football games, but he is not really worried about reinjuring his elbow.

He said even with the loss of coach Paul Hayles, who left ACCS on June 24 to become the headmaster at Amite School Center, he expects this season’s Rebel team to be successful.

“There’s no doubt people are going to look down on us, but we’re going to surprise some people,” he said.

Perry had an outstanding junior baseball season, despite his injured elbow. He hit .578 with 17 home runs and 36 RBIs and was named to the MAIS All-State first team.