By JOSHUA McKINNEY , Staff Writer
It’s not every day that an offensive lineman gets noticed.
But then again, it’s not hard to draw attention when you’re six feet, six inches tall.
Pace Vikings offensive tackle Xavier Perez had enough looks to sign to play football for NJCAA Division I program Blinn Community College Buccaneers on Tuesday.
Perez will take the field at the Brenham, Texas-based school that boasts reigning NFL MVP and former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cam Newton and 1998 Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Bishop among its alumni.
It’s not hard to see why Perez would pick a junior college with a distinguished shortlist like that, since he has Division I dreams.
“I’m excited to play there,” Perez said. “Hopefully, it will take me a step further to where I want to be: in a Division I or Division II school in a couple of years.”
It’s not hard to see someone with his size lining up for an FBS program in the near future.
Pace head coach William Deen , who enters his fifth year leading the program this fall, said Perez put in the hard work to get to a junior college with a strong tradition.
“It’s a lot of fun. A bunch of people don’t realize he hasn’t turned 18 so he has room to grow,” Deen said. “He just got better every game. You can’t ask for more than that. He’s got a big frame, six-six, he’s still growing. He just never stopped working, never came up. When he was struggling to keep up with everybody else, he never quit. That’s what makes us proud.”
Perez has made strides since his freshman year and brought a presence of stability to the Vikings line this season.
Joe Espinoza, Pace’s offensive line coach, said the tackle’s made huge gains over the last four years and his size has allowed him to push his way to the Buccaneers’ offensive line.
“He looks good in a uniform,” Espinoza said. “He has things that other kids don’t have. With his size comes leverage, so that made his job a lot easier and allowed him to play varsity since his sophomore year.”
The All-Metro second team selection has anchored an offensive line for a Pace team that finished with a 3-7 record (3-4 in District 32-5A) and closed the season with wins against Edcouch-Elsa (a team that went three rounds into the Class 5A Division II playoffs before losing to eventual state champion Cedar Park) and PSJA Southwest. It’s a good
As for Perez, he’s just happy to win one for his fellow war daddies.
“I feel very proud about that because not many offensive linemen get recognized,” Perez said. “This is one way to put the fat boys up there.”
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