Victor Perez has spent plenty of time in the water, going all the way back to when he was an infant.
Now, Perez enjoys his time in the pool with the Lyons boys water polo team, but his first experience in the water was much more serious.
Perez was born prematurely. He spent almost the first year of his life in a Chicago hospital.
“I was on a machine for the first nine months,” Perez said. “The doctors told my mom that when I got off the machine to put me in the water as soon as possible. I had a severe case of asthma, and putting me in the water would help expand my lungs.”
Perez has come quite far since those days. He’s a Lyons senior and the reigning Illinois Water Polo Boys Player of the Year. He led the Lions to a third-place finish at the 2018 state meet.
This spring, Perez is one of the Lions’ captains. His mind is focused on team goals.
“He’s becoming a much better leader,” senior co-captain Hayden Claesson said. “He’s allowing other people to shoot. It opens up our offense and makes us more dangerous elsewhere.”
There are other ways for Perez to lead than by being the top scorer. One is being accountable for mishaps.
Lyons lost to New Trier 6-5 on April 26 at the Stevenson Varsity Classic Tournament. Perez did not score and took the blame for a defensive lapse late in the match. He told his teammates so after the loss.
“I took full responsibility for that loss. I basically cost us (the match),” Perez said. “When we were in the huddle, I said, ‘This is my fault, I let the team down.’ “
“It was big of him to recognize that it wasn’t someone else’s fault,” added Claesson, a La Grange resident.
The next day, Lyons defeated Fenwick 7-4. Perez scored two goals and played stellar defense.
It’s the type of turnaround performance that Lyons can expect from its captains, especially Perez.
For the first 10 years of his life, Perez swam at public pools around Chicago. Perez’s first exposure to water polo came from a Chicago Park District program at Shabbona Park on the northwest side. Perez soon joined the CPD Water Polo Club before moving to Brookfield and enrolling at Lyons. He now lives in Countryside.
In the Fenwick match, Perez squared off against Friars senior attacker Ramses Flores. Flores and Perez are close friends and played together for years with the CPD Water Polo Club. Flores is among Perez’s mentors, along with Beto Garcia at CPD and Lyons coach Doug Eichstaedt.
“(Flores) is like a brother to me. He sleeps over at my house,” Perez said. “Beto Garcia taught me how to play, and Doug perfected my game.”
Eichstaedt said Perez is more dangerous as a player than he was a year ago when he was the state’s best.
“He has developed more options for shooting and trying to score. He’s better at reading defenses and how goalies are playing and adjusts the type of shot that is required,” Eichstaedt said. “He continually strives to get better. A giant in the water.”
Lyons is the No. 2 seed in its own sectional and opens postseason play May 9 against either Julian or Back of the Yards.
