Tijuana-born Perez Making an Impact for 2-0 Aztecs

<figure id="attachment_8411" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8411" style="width: 199px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a class="highslide" onclick="return vz.expand(this)" href="http://laprensa-sandiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/070P3374.jpg"><… loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-8411" title="070P3374" src="http://laprensa-sandiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/070P3374-199x30…; alt="" width="199" height="300"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-8411" class="wp-caption-text">Former Castle Park kicker Abel Perez now with the Aztecs.Photo by Stan Liu.</figcaption></figure>
   Last weekend’s 41-21 San Diego State gridiron victory over New Mexico State required a total team effort. When the Aztec offense struggled in the first half, the Red and Black defense rose to the occasion and limited the Aggies to just seven points. After the intermission, the offense sprang into action. For the second week in a row, quarterback Ryan Lindley passed for over 300 yards and highly-touted receivers DeMarco Sampson and Vincent Brown lived up to their sterling reputations combining for nine receptions and 172 yards. Freshman running back Ronnie Hillman ran over, around and through the Aggies defense for 150 yards and four touchdowns. Not since the days of Marshall Faulk have the Aztecs had such dynamic ball carrier. And Hillman is just getting started. Running backs Walter Kazee and Davon Brown combined for an additional 103 yards behind the revitalized line of Tommie Draheim, Alec Johnson, Trask Iosefa, Nik Embernate and Kurtis Gunther.
   Generally overlooked in such a high scoring game is the work of the kicker. Former Castle Park and Southwestern College place kicker Abel Perez kicking in just his second game as an Aztec displayed a powerful leg in recording seven touchbacks. He was also a perfect five for five on PATs and hit on field goals of 25 and 32 yards. The only thing marring his otherwise perfect day was his missed field goals of 37 and 45 yards.
     Perez is probably the most unlikely individual to be suiting up for the Aztecs. Born in Tijuana and living there until the age of nine, Perez was not the least bit interested in football as a child. Soccer was his passion.
   “I used to play goal keeper for Aztecs Premier down in the South Bay. At Castle Park, I played forward, but it was pretty much just to have fun and not so serious. As a junior I was invited to kick the ball (for the football team), but I wasn’t really a football fan, I was much more into soccer.
   During my senior year I talked to the dad of one of my friends and he told me I should be kicking (for the football team). So I talked to the coaches, started kicking and had a pretty good season. I really didn’t know much about kicking, just that you had to put it through the uprights.
   Academically, I didn’t have a very good year, so after I graduated I just hung around (while many of his teammates headed off to college).
   Things changed for Perez once he connected with Lance Ortega from the San Diego School of Kicking.
   “He brought me back to kicking and coached me for about two years. He called my mom and told her that she needed to get me playing football so that I could get a scholarship.”
   After taking a year off, Perez enrolled at Southwestern College.
   “(Southwestern College) coach (Ed) Carberry helped me out a lot and I had a pretty good year. In 2007, I led the conference in touchbacks and I went 14/18 on field goals.
   I wasn’t used to training year round and I got burned out so I didn’t play in 2008. I also needed to get my grades up so I concentrated on that.
   In 2009, coach Carberry called me and told me that I had (four year colleges) calling him about me. He asked me if I was going to take this seriously or not. I knew that getting a scholarship would be the only way that I could get the money I needed to pay for college. Once I got invited to SDSU, I didn’t even have to think about it before I said yes.”
   If Perez can continue to find the end zone with his booming kickoffs and improve his accuracy on field goals he could go on to become one the best Aztec kickers in recent memory. Perez and his Aztecs will be tested tomorrow when they visit Big 12 powerhouse Missouri (2-0) at 4:00 p.m. on Pay Per View or KOGO 600.