Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week

Perez hopes this fast start lasts

By: Justin Feil
   As a freshman wrestler for Princeton High School last year, Anastacio Perez got off to a pretty good start before things got tougher in the end of the season.
   Perez entered this season looking to sustain success from start to finish.
   "It was rough last year," said PHS head coach Rashone Johnson. "The thing is, he’s a soccer player that wrestles. Coming from soccer and being on varsity right away, if you’re used to having a certain level of success, you think it will carry over.
   "He had some success early, but he fatigued toward the end of the season. I think he has a different hunger for the sport this year. It took last year to learn he wasn’t in middle school, to learn that some of the techniques don’t work in high school."
   Perez found plenty working to start his sophomore season. It’s just the start he was looking for as a returning wrestler.
   Perez opened his season with a 12-4 win in the first round of the Garden State Classic that was hosted by PHS on Saturday. He followed it up with a pin in the semifinals, then capped his first tournament of the season with a 7-0 win over Kevin Ambrose of Washington Township in the 119-pound final. Perez was the only Garden State champion from PHS, and the only one from the area, as Montgomery High also wrestled there in its first varsity tournament.
   Anastacio Perez is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
   "It was a pretty good start," Perez said. "It was better than last year. I didn’t make weight and had to wrestle 125 last year. I got third. This time, I was at 119."
   Not only was he in his better weight, but Perez is a better wrestler this season. He attributes that to last year’s experience.
   "I was pretty happy to wrestle varsity," he said. "I knew it was going to be hard. It’s so much different than middle school. I guess it’s a little easier this year."
   Johnson has noticed a change in Perez even at this early juncture of the season. It is that experience factor.
   "He’s just wrestling now," Johnson said. "He wrestled smarter this weekend. He wrestled like he was a veteran.
   "I think he’s better," he added. "You could see that he’s maturing as a wrestler. He’s listening to instruction in matches. He’s wrestling smarter. A lot of times last year he lost matches in the third period by going away from the game plan. He didn’t do that (Saturday)."
   Perez came into the season motivated to have more success than he did last year. His goals were simple, but they should make him an effective challenger for PHS opponents.
   "I wanted to be a better wrestler than last year," Perez said. "I want to improve, in everything."
   Perez comes off a fall soccer season in which he helped PHS reach the Group III state semifinals and nearly upset a nationally ranked squad. When he’s on the mats, his athleticism shows and benefits him.
   "He’s an athlete," Johnson said. "It helps. He’s agile, flexible and quick. People who are athletes can get away with things others can’t. You can make up for things with our athleticism."
   Perez’s athleticism gave him some of the raw materials to mold himself into contributor as a freshman. It gives him a stronger starting point for this season. Winning a tournament championship can help him as he gets into the dual match portion of the season.
   "I guess I’ll be more confident going into matches," he said. "I usually get nervous. Now I know I can do better. I won’t be as nervous hopefully. It definitely got my confidence up."
   Perez showed Saturday that he has the ability to combine his athleticism and wrestling experience for quite a combination. That mix was helpful when he won the 119-pound title.
   "In the finals, when I was on the bottom, I always got around," he said. "Every time I was on the bottom, I got around. That helped a lot."
   Perez feels stronger than he was last year. Saturday’s win is a step in showing that it’s not just a look.
   "There aren’t too many people who can say they’re unbeaten after the first weekend," Johnson said. "Did I know he had the ability? Yes. He has the ability and the wherewithal. It’s a matter of staying focused.
   "He wrestled really well this weekend. He’s looking to improve on it. Even though he wrestled well, he still made mistakes. He still has room for improvement. But he managed to come through with his first win."
   The championship was a surprise to Perez. He wasn’t sure what to expect of his weight class, having only seen his second opponent in competition before.
   "I didn’t think I was going to do as well as I did," he said. "I figured it depended on my opponent (if I’d win). I thought they’d be better than me."
   Three straight opponents had to concede that it was Perez who was the better wrestler. It’s something that Anastacio Perez hopes will happen plenty to his opponents, from the start of the season to the very end. Earning a championship in his first weekend isn’t such a bad omen.
   "I think I’ll probably do better than last year," he said.