Cody Thorn
Sean Perez Jr. decided to head to the NHSCA High School Nationals with one goal in mind — let people learn what kind of wrestler he is.
The Humble High School student ended up taking fifth place in the 170-pound bracket in the freshman bracket with a 7-6 win over Gavin Boyd from Pennsylvania — thanks to a takedown with 8 seconds left.
In 10 years as the head coach of the Wildcats, this is the first wrestler that Coach Chris Kimes had to go to the event in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
“His dad told me he wished I was there and I told them I will be there next year,” said Kimes, who had an NHSCA All-American when he was coaching in Georgia. “The thing is you have to have talent, but you also have to have a family committed to your athletic and academic success.”
Perez said one of his most memorable matches was his first when he knocked off the 7th-seeded Dante Richardson from Rhode Island by a tech fall, 17-1. Richardson was a state champion at the Rhode Island Freshman/JV State Championship in February.
After that, Perez beat David Douglass from New Jersey by a fall before losing, 4-2, to Gabe Johnson from Pennsylvania in the quarterfinals.
He won two straight — over KJ Burg from South Carolina and Brady Allessie from Pennsylvania — before a loss to Ohio’s Caige Horak in the match to determine third or fifth place.
“I just kept on attacking to win matches,” Perez said.
For him, three matches defined the trip — and two of them were losses. He said the upset in the first round made a statement for those who didn’t know much about the Texan….
