The only memory that Oak Park-River Forest’s Kevin Perez had of water polo growing up was watching a game on television during the Olympics.
The senior didn’t give the sport any more thought and focused on what he always loved, baseball. He dreamed of playing it at the collegiate level.
As Perez got older he began to tire of America’s favorite pastime and a friend suggested he try water polo his freshman year at Prosser in Chicago.
“The program was very poor, but I was just adjusting to the aquatic world,” Perez said.
When his family moved to Oak Park, Perez decided to stick with water polo.
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It was another year of adjustments. He was playing with teammates who had a lot more experience in water polo and swimming than he did, so it wasn’t a surprise he was put on the JV bench.
While some players might have looked at that as a reason to quit, Perez used it as motivation to work harder.
“It all starts with how bad you want it,” he said. “I’m a competitive kid. I always wanted to be the best and that drives me during every season and every offseason. After sophomore year, I started playing for the Windy City Water Polo Club. They have a lot of guys from Fenwick, which is a powerhouse.”
The effort spent during the summer did the trick. The next season as a junior he was a varsity starter for OPRF.
“It was a big jump,” Perez said. “I didn’t like thinking that someone else was better than me, so I worked on it.”
“During his junior year he was a completely different player and he kept on improving,” said Huskies coach John Rapp. “He was a captain, our leader and we’re going to miss him.”
Perez’s water polo career came to an abrupt end on Thursday, May 14 in OPRF’s 15-13 loss to Young in the Fenwick Sectional quarterfinals.
The Huskies got off to a slow start, trailing 7-2 at halftime. The two teams continued to trade goals and Young held a 14-9 advantage with 3 minutes, 58 seconds to play. OPRF showed some spark, but a late rally came up short.
“We didn’t come out like it was win-or-go-home and when you give a team like [Young] a five-goal lead in the first half, it’s going to be trouble,” Rapp said. “We came out in the second half and played how I wanted us to on offense, but it was too little, too late.”
Perez, who scored two goals, appreciated everything the Huskies’ program did for him.
“I am very grateful for the OPRF coaches,” said Perez, who plans to attend Illinois and play intramural water polo. “I couldn’t have asked for more from them and it’s been a fun ride.”
Game note
* It will be up to junior Lawrence Cozzi (4 goals) and his fellow juniors to take over and lead the way next season. “I know we can improve and do better,” Cozzi said. “I’ll go into the offseason looking for how I can get better. That’s the great thing about being in the pool year round. I’m always able to check and see what I need to improve on.”
Valentin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.