YOUNG PEREZ EARNS 8U FOOTBALL MVP

By Patrick Lujan

8-year-old Wyatt Perez is giving the stateside youth football scene a geography lesson as to where Guam is.

Perez took part in a big NFL Combine-style football festival, taking on some of the best 8U talents from all over the country and was named the MVP out of 24 talented players in the invitation-only event in Dallas, Texas. The event was called the Rising Stars Youth Combine.

“People don’t know where Guam is, but they know where it is now.”

– father Keith Perez

The younger Perez took on the best talents from Texas, California, Georgia, Oregon and Ohio in a three-day format that included football combine drills capped off by one-on-ones.

“That was the biggest turning point because they had to translate the drills onto the field,” Keith said.

Wyatt had to qualify for the combine, meeting some strict criteria from his current home base in South Carolina. Keith and his family moved there in 2020 to take on a Chief Information Officer position at a naval base.

Normally a running back and linebacker, Wyatt displayed his talents with some solid route running and even pulled in a one-handed catch (see GSPN IG).

The combine was critiqued by former NFL linebacker Steven Johnson and a Texas Tech recruiter.

“It was pretty stacked because the Texas kids had to go through regional qualifiers,” Keith added.

With the regular season just ahead in August, Wyatt is back in South Carolina preparing for the season and turning eyes.

“The coach was looking at me and saying that he’s a little animal,” the dad said. “He’s an aggressive player and runner, but he’s one of the most humble kids you’ll ever meet.”

Wyatt couldn’t do it without his family support from mom Jady and sisters Jacky (17), Riley (13) and Scarlett (11).

Backed by Hero Sportz. He’s one of their team members.

Football season starts in August.