Jair Perez believed in his abilities when was he cut from Waukegan’s top junior varsity team as a sophomore two years ago.
Assigned to JV2, Perez was surprised and discouraged.
“Honestly, it was sad,” he said. “All my friends were telling me I should have been in JV1 or even varsity.”
It took only one day for the coaching staff to realize a mistake had been made. Tadeo Lara, who is in his first season as Waukegan’s varsity coach, is the one who cut Perez.
“One of the other coaches came up to me and said, ‘Hey, I think you need to give this kid another chance because he needs to be up with you. He’s too good to be down here,’” Lara said.
So Lara had Perez practice with his team, which prompted Lara to ask himself a question: “How did I miss him?”
Lara quickly promoted Perez to the top JV team full time — and from there, Perez soared. He earned a starting spot, led the team in goals and even garnered a varsity promotion near the end of the season.
“It made my confidence go up,” Perez said. “My coaches didn’t have the time to see my full potential (before).”
Once the coaches saw it, they were sold.
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“He’s an electric player,” Lara said. “When he gets the ball, he looks to score. But he’s also looking to assist, to pass the ball to a teammate who’s in a better position. He puts the team first.”
Perez, a forward, was fully entrenched as a varsity player last season and has become one of the senior leaders for the Bulldogs (4-8, 2-3), who are trying to contend in the North Suburban Conference.
“He figured out that he needs to show up every day and keep proving himself,” Lara said. “That’s what he’s done.
“He’s got a very competitive attitude, but also an attitude that’s kind of ready to learn, and whatever we want him to do, he’s ready. He’ll do it.”
What the Bulldogs have needed from Perez is offense, and he has scored a team-high six goals. He also has an assist.
“He’s a very good technical player,” Waukegan senior midfielder Eli Vela said. “He comes in when we need him the most. He’s a very good finisher and a good leader also.”
Leadership has been a priority for Perez this season, and teammates have heard a lot more of his voice as a result.
“He picks the team up,” Vela said. “He’s always there for anyone that’s down. He tries to make them confident.”
Just being on the field has that effect on Perez.
“Soccer can take your problems away,” he said. “I forget about them while playing. I have that feeling of having butterflies and joy.”
Perez wants the Bulldogs to experience the joy of winning more often.
“It’s been a lot of games I think we could have won but we lost because of multiple mistakes,” he said. “It’s just not how we want the season to start off.
“I want to improve. I want to win something, like a regional or something bigger.”
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If the Bulldogs can do that, Lara knows Perez will have done his part.
“We’ve started off some games being down early, and he’s motivating his teammates, just kind of helping them stay up,” Lara said. “He’s got a very competitive attitude.”