Woodward High School junior Kristian Perez has grown up with a soccer ball at his feet, and now he’s the voice in the middle of the field for the Boomers’ varsity team.
Perez, a center midfielder, has been playing soccer for 11 years and leans on one of the game’s greats for inspiration. “My favorite player is Lionel Messi,” Perez said. “I’ve always looked up to the way he plays and how he carries himself.”
At Woodward, Perez said it is his coaches who guide him the most as a person. “My coaches, they mentor me and coach me through all my troubles,” Perez said. “They’re always there when I need help, on or off the field.” That support has helped him grow from a quiet underclassman into one of the most vocal players on the team.
“I’d say I’m the most vocal teammate,” Perez said, adding that junior teammate Naim keeps everyone laughing during long practices and bus rides. That balance of seriousness and fun is part of what Perez enjoys most about being a Boomer. “Everyone treats each other like they’re family,” he said. “We have basically all grown up playing with each other because of NOSA, so nobody’s a stranger on our team.”
Holding down the middle of the field comes with a heavy workload. “I play center mid and the most difficult thing about that position is all the running you have to do up and down the field,” Perez said. Still, he believes the game has given him lessons that go far beyond conditioning. “It’s taught me that hard work and discipline will eventually pay off,” he said.
In the classroom, Perez lists biology as his favorite subject and points to Mrs. Chance as a teacher who has made a difference in his school day. Away from school and soccer, he likes to hang out and play pool with his friends.
Looking back to his freshman year, Perez said one of the biggest changes in his game has been his confidence. With another season in the books, the veteran midfielder plans to keep using his voice and work ethic to lead the Boomers on and off the field.
