Hobart’s Preston Perez faced a fork in the road, and there ultimately was little doubt which way he would go.
A former reserve running back/linebacker, the 5-foot-8, 220-pound senior has emerged as a two-way starter at defensive tackle and offensive guard for the regional-bound Brickies.
“He’s worked really hard,” Hobart coach Eric Schreiber Jr. said. “He’s a kid that thought he was a running back, a skill player, and we needed him to step up in a different role, and he’s embraced it.
“It took a while. It took a few months in the offseason to convince him and get him set right and understand. I basically told him, ‘Hey, man, you can either do what you did last year, help us out on special teams, or you can never come off the field.’ That was the opportunity.”
Perez has made the most of it. He has 62 tackles with a team-high 10 for loss and a team-high three sacks for the Brickies (10-2), who will play South Bend St. Joseph (11-1) on the road on Friday in their first Class 4A regional championship game since 2020.
Perez has also helped pave the way for players such as junior quarterback Aleks Tatum and senior running back Max Pickett, who was a difference-maker in Hobart’s 35-15 win over Lowell in the sectional final last week.
“He’s extremely dedicated,” Schreiber said of Perez. “He works really hard. He lifts all the time. He’s a really good kid, and he’s really grown up a lot this season. He’s stepped up in a big way for us.”
Perez is glad he did.
“The transition’s been great,” he said. “I did get bigger, so it definitely did help me a lot. With offensive guard, since I’m pulling a lot, me seeing what holes to go to so I can help my running back, it helps him a lot. It makes everyone’s job easier. With defensive tackle, I feel like I have the speed and I have the bigger size too.
“It’s been awesome. I really bought into what everyone was telling me to do. That made me become not just a better football player but a better person. I’m happy that I’m contributing to the team.”
Perez, who weighed 160 pounds as a freshman, played sparingly as a sophomore before he suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee and a fractured tibia on his first play late in Hobart’s lopsided victory against Lowell. He had surgery and was sidelined for seven months. He returned last season and was limited to special teams.
But Perez has broken out this season.
“It’s well due,” he said. “It’s overdue. I just rose to the occasion. I put in the work in the offseason, and I’ve been putting in the work all through high school, and I’ve been buying into what the coaches have been saying. They’ve definitely helped me a lot to improve.”
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Perez, who also wrestles and runs sprints in track, has persevered.
“He’s always had the ability physically,” Schreiber said. “He’s always been a real strong kid, a real physical kid. It’s all about effort and attitude. He brings the right attitude and the maximum effort all the time.
“We can work with that. It doesn’t matter your ability, your limitations. If you can bring those things every day, you’ll get better, and he does that all the time.”
Hobart senior linebacker/offensive tackle Josh Diaz appreciates Perez’s hard-charging approach.
“He’s not a big stat-line player, but he has a motor,” Diaz said. “He doesn’t really stop. He brings intensity to the defense and the offense. He just keeps going.”
Perez, who aims to play defensive tackle and study physical therapy in college, has no intention of stopping now.
“I try to watch as much film as possible,” he said. “I try to hustle everywhere, try to always be tough, mentally and physically, so I think I do a good job with that. I always try to keep my cardio in check throughout the week. I’ll do cardio every morning, just because I’m playing both ways and I like to be in shape for that.”