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Pushing Past

20. Mar, 2009 0 Comments

It has been a while.But for Edder Perez, it is something that was bound to
happen. Perez, one of the three seniors on the Marble Falls soccer team, has
been a dependable force for the Mustangs in his time on varsity. Now, in his
final season at the high school, he has helped them go where they have not
been in years—to the playoffs. The Mustangs played in their first playoff
game since 2002 last night when they played Austin Travis at Dripping
Springs High. “It has been really good…and a fun experience,” Perez
said. “We only have three seniors, but we have like 10 sophomores, and
they are all talented and it is funny that we combine so well. “They look
up to us, too.” Perez began forming that bond when he played with the
sophomores on a select team that qualified for the state tournament in the
fall. “It was my first year playing select ball and we had to move up to
(a) U(nder)-18 (team) because even though the other guys were younger, I was
17. So, they all had to play up so we could stay together,” Perez said.
“It was a fun experience; we lost some games, but we won some. That team
also had success. They won district and took fourth in state. The level of
success of both teams is no coincidence. With the talented sophomores and
leaders like Perez, Marble Falls’ soccer program is on the rise. “Edder
brings dependability to the team,” said Marble Falls coach Michael Nave.
“He is consistent and that is what we look for on the field. He is always
there mentally and physically. He never falls off one game and then is there
the next. He is always trying his best.” Perez began playing soccer with a
little nudge from his father. “My dad used to play and he signed me up for
soccer as a young kid,” Perez said. Perez moved to Marble Falls from Los
Angeles when he was 5 years old, but the game came with him. He began
playing organized soccer when he got to Marble Falls and then began playing
with the city team at age 12. Learning soccer and playing in the youth
leagues was “awesome,” Perez said. “I just loved to score goals, and
anytime you can dribble and pass people up, it makes you feel good,” he
said. Now, years later, Perez’s aspirations are still the same. He wants
to score and he wants to win. And he never wants to quit. Perez plans on
going to Midwestern State after graduation to major in business and minor in
accounting, but he plans to play soccer, whether he gets a scholarship or
not. “Hopefully, I can get a scholarship,” Perez said. “If not, I am
just going to try out regardless. I went and visited and I really liked it.
“I have friends going there already and they say you can get a lot done
over there.” In his final season as a Mustang, Perez, a midfielder, has
also been a leader on the field as well as off it. He scored his first goal
of his career on a penalty kick against Copperas Cove in the Mustangs own
tournament, the Mustang Classic. But those are just the goals. What he
really enjoys is being with his teammates. “At the beginning of the
season, you might not know what to expect or who anybody is, especially with
all the young guys,” Perez said. “By the end of the season, though, you
know everyone so well it is close like a family.”