KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
SAN BENITO—When Nicko Perez went down with a season-ending ankle injury, he wasn’t sure if he would ever be the same player again.
Now, a year later, Perez returned for his senior season, overcame the odds and will now play football at Mcpherson College next fall.
“This means everything to me,” Perez said. “Ever since I was a little kid growing up playing football, this is something I have always wanted to do. Now, for me to be able to sign on and play at the next level is a dream come true.”
Perez missed his junior season, but returned to the field and helped anchor the Greyhounds’ defense.
“The school just stood out to me,” Perez said. “Right away I felt at home, all the coaches welcomed me. Hopefully I’ll be able to play defensive end, but I’m ready to play wherever they need me.”
Throughout his career he displayed toughness and the willingness to work.
Against San Antonio East Central, when the ankle injury occurred, Perez managed to play one more down and then came off the field on his own.
“Sharpen the axe, just keep on doing what you’re doing,” San Benito coach Dan Gomez said. “Don’t stop working that would be my advice to him.”
Perez came out strong his senior year and led the team in tackles for loss with 19 and finished with 59 total tackles and finished tied for the team lead in sacks with 12.
“He was able to move all across the defensive line for us,” Gomez said. “And when you have players like that, you are that much better and you can rely on them to do certain things in certain situations.”
On Wednesday, Perez became the second Valley athlete to sign on at Mcpherson College.
Earlier in the day, Santa Rosa senior center Adrian Moreno also signed his letter of intent to play football for the Bulldogs.