A Manual on How to Succeed in Triplicate

For athletes seeking inspiration, let me introduce three teenagers who don’t allow excuses to stand in the way of success.

Instead, they charge ahead, emboldened by adversity and unafraid to challenge authority.

Alex Perez, a senior linebacker-wrestler at El Camino Real High; Ronnie Noel, a freshman point guard at Valley College; and Eric Horvat, a freshman outfielder at Cal State Northridge, force others to take notice by the way they conduct their lives.

Perez lives with his mother in Woodland Hills. She was born in the Dominican Republic and doesn’t speak English. He works part-time as a waiter at an upscale Calabasas restaurant to support the family.

He was a leader on the Conquistadores’ City Section 3-A Division championship football team last fall and is one of the favorites to win a City wrestling title at 189 pounds. He dreams of attending an Ivy League school.

He earned a score of 1270 on his Scholastic Assessment Test and hopes to attend Columbia.

Nothing has come easy.

As a freshman football player, an awkward Perez was a gangly 6 feet 2 and 150 pounds.

“I got in two plays the whole year,” he said.

He didn’t appear in a single wrestling match. But, as in football, he refused to quit. He stayed alert on the bench, watching, listening and learning.

“It just made me mad and motivated me,” he said.

As he matured and grew to 6-4, Perez became a top athlete. He kept up his grades in advanced placement courses. His mother came to all his athletic events, providing constant encouragement.

“It’s a big load, but there’s no other choice,” Perez said. “I have to do the best I can in everything I do. I don’t want to let anyone down. I have to work, I have to play sports, I have to do well in school. It’s just the way it is.”

There’s no guarantee he’s going to receive the financial aid or the athletic vote of confidence to reach the Ivy League, but Perez is determined to keep trying.

“You just have to work hard and push yourself because life isn’t easy,” he said. “[Going to Columbia] would be one of the greatest accomplishments. It would be the pinnacle for academics and sports.”

Valley’s Noel is just 5-9. If basketball players were recruited to college based on their high school awards, Noel would be playing intramural ball. He didn’t even make the All-Marmonte League team as a senior.

He had every reason to feel bitter about receiving no recognition. At Simi Valley, he had a school-record 18 assists in a game. He set another school record with 278 assists in a season. But he failed to earn all-league honors because some Marmonte coaches held a grudge against the controversial Simi Valley program.

“Whatever their agenda was, it’s unfair to take it out on a player,” Valley Coach Doug Michelson said.

Said Noel: “I just overlook that stuff. I play my game.”

He’s the only freshman starter on a Valley team in first place in the Western State Conference South Division. He had 13 points, 10 assists and committed only two turnovers in 38 minutes Saturday against Glendale.

Noel is quick, unselfish and a terrific court leader.

“He has a tremendous desire to win,” Simi Valley Coach Dean Bradshaw said. “He has a tremendous amount of energy.”

Said Michelson: “He’s the glue for us.”

For Noel to succeed immediately at Valley speaks not only about his talent but his character.

“I knew I could play,” Noel said. “I just love the game.”

Horvat either values loyalty more than anyone around or he’s a big gambler.

After Northridge eliminated its baseball program last June, Horvat was the only freshman recruit not to bail out. There was no indication the program would be resurrected, but Horvat stayed.

“It was mainly because of Coach [Mike] Batesole,” he said. “I really wanted to play for him. I was waiting it through. It was kind of a gut feeling.”

As other players asked for their releases to transfer to four-year schools or junior colleges, Horvat refused to budge.

“It was a weird situation,” he said. “I left it up to fate.”

Horvat was rewarded when the program was reinstated in August. As a left fielder, he leads Northridge starters with a .423 batting average (11 for 26).

“I’m real happy with the way things are going,” he said.

Northridge is off to a 4-4 start, not bad for a team that was put together in two weeks.

“This is a special group,” Batesole said.

None more special than Horvat, from Hart High, who hit baseballs at his backyard batting cage late into the night when he was 12.

“He’s definitely one of my kind of kids--not afraid to get his nose in the dirt,” Batesole said. “You can tell he grew up playing Whiffle ball against the garage door. He’s got instincts for this game.”

Perez, Noel and Horvat are 17, 18 and 19, respectively, yet they act more responsibly than many adults. They are athletes to admire.

*

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422.