Our boys' honoree this week is one of the best baseball-football athletes to come out of the Bay Area in quite a while.


By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

Moms know best, and that's especially true about this week's State Boys Athlete of the Week, Noah Perio, who is from De La Salle High of Concord.

 "That's great that you're honoring him for baseball because every time anyone wants to do anything about Noah it's always about football. What everyone doesn't know is baseball is his real passion,” said Tammi Perio, and she ought to know because she is Noah's mother.

As quiet as it's kept, Noah Perio is one heck of a baseball shortstop and slugger.

Most everyone knows Perio the way ESPNU College Football Recruiting describes him. "A slot type receiver that has good hands, is slippery as a route runner and finds ways to get open.”

They also know him as a fierce hitter from the defensive back position and one of the team's stars from last fall along with Arizona-bound running back Kylan Butler, fellow WR/DB Blair Wishom and quarterback Blake Wayne. It was a Spartan squad the was runner-up in the 2008 CIF Division I Bowl Game.

In fact, Perio blocked a field goal with 3:18 remaining in the 21-16 loss to Centennial of Corona that kept the game within reach.

Then, on the last play of the game on a free kick after a safety by Centennial, the Spartans tried a play out of the Cal Bears playbook, getting the ball to Perio after a series of laterals. He appeared to break free but was eventually tackled around the winners' 20-yard line.

There's no blocking and tackling, or running with and carrying the ball in baseball, but there is hitting and fielding and running the bases, and Perio excels at all three.

"Noah just has instincts you can't teach,” said first-year De La Salle Coach Rick Steen, who before coming to Sparta spent 32 years at San Ramon Valley (Danville) where he won 490 games.

"He knows the pitchers, knows their reactions, knows where the ball is being pitched and he's passionate about competing,” continued Steen, whose team has snagged the top seed in the NCS Division I playoffs with a 16-8 record, meaning coach now has 506 career wins and earns a spot in the next edition of the ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com State Record Book and Almanac.

"Noah's also an inherent leader and kids matriculate to his actions and talent and flow to him because of what he can do,” said the veteran coach who graduated from Oakland's Skyline. "Plus, he doesn't want to lose, and that's contagious.”

Of recent, Perio has caught fire and so have the Spartans, who are looking to get back on top in baseball in the North Coast Section just like they've dominated the gridiron for over two decades.

"He's the key to our success and is in the middle of all our rallies,” Steen told CalHiSports.com. "He either gets the key hits to start a rally or keeps the inning going.”

Plus, Perio has speed, having successfully stolen 19-of-20 bases this season. A game against East Bay Athletic League foe Foothill (Pleasanton) is a perfect example.

"Against Foothill he singled, then stole second on the next pitch, stole third on the third pitch and stole home on the next pitch. Four pitches,” said Steen with pride and amazement in his voice.

Power, you ask? Perio has that as well.

Last week in a 9-8 come-from-behind victory over another EBAL foe, California of San Ramon, Noah blasted a three-run homer to give the Spartans an 8-7 lead.

In fact, in the current nine-game winning streak for De La Salle and also including their last loss, to Norco in the Anderson Bat National Classic, Perio has all five of his home runs this season.

This past week he also hit a home run against Steen's old team San Ramon Valley, and for the week he was a combined 6-for-11 with the two homers, a triple, seven RBI and three runs scored.  

On the season to go with the 19 thefts and five long-taters, Noah is hitting .413 with 33 hits in 80 appearances, has 34 RBI, 20 runs scored and a .725 slugging percentage. He also has four game-winning walk-off hits this season of seven collected by the Spartans

Perio doesn't walk often, only earning four bases-on-balls, but he's also only struck out six times all season.  

As for his fielding, Noah is at .920 as a shortstop in one of California's toughest leagues where lots of guys hit the ball hard. According to Steen his defense has been "outstanding.”

He's helped turn 12 double plays this season, including three we witnessed against state-ranked Clovis West (Fresno) last Saturday at the Dave Stewart/Oakland A's Showdown at the Oakland Coliseum.

One of the walk-off winning hits was when he singled down the left field line driving home Erik Angerer in the bottom of the seventh for the game winning run in a 3-2 De La Salle victory.

Perio, who was named MVP for the winners, was 3-for-4 with two RBI. His triple in the fifth that bounced off the wall between the 388-foot and 400-foot signs in left-center scored Nick Hudson to give Sparta a 2-1 lead.  

Perio was also impressive at the last Area Code Games where he impressed the pro scouts as well as the ESPN RISE Director of Area Code Games, Andrew Drennen.

"At the Area Code Games he had the 14th highest SPARQ Rating with a 71.99.  He showed that he has some speed running a 6.90 60-yard and a 3.86 30-yard,” said Drennen.

"I also saw him at the National Classic in April against Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey, and he played solid,” continued Drennen. "In that game he collected two hits and drove in two against Niko Spezial, who played in the 2008 Area Code Games on the Yankees' team.”

As a result of his showings at high-profile events during the summer as well as games this season, Perio has attracted interest from 13-14 Major League teams with the Marlins, Astros, Brewers and Mariners showing the most interest.

At 6-2, 185 pounds and with his speed its no wonder scouts like him.

For all he's done personally, baseball is still a team game with team goals, especially at the high school level..

"We always have a goal to win NCS and we weren't too pleased to lose last year to Arroyo (San Lorenzo) in the first round,” said Perio, who rides almost an hour each day to school with Tammi from their home in Brentwood.

And as for the 7-8 start this season?

"We came out a little too cocky this year but we turned it around in the first Monte Vista (Danville) game and in L.A.,” Perio told CalHiSports.com in a 6:45 am interview by phone from home on Thursday before heading to school.

And as for winning NCS as the D1 top seed?

"The team is a little superstitious. We don't talk about it because everyone knows what we have to do and that's give 100-percent every day.”

And everyone on the team knows each other pretty well.

"The whole senior class on the team, all 11 of us are really tight. We've been on varsity together since our sophomore year. We hang out after practice and on weekends and do a lot together,” remarked Noah.

Family is very important to Perio and when he talked about them there was pride in his voice.

Previously mentioned mom Tammi, besides being a chauffeur, is also a real estate agent with Century 21. "She was an athlete. She played lots of different sports as a youth in the East Bay,” said Noah.

His father, Derek, works for Pacific Gas and Electric and is originally from Hawaii. After coming to the mainland in high school he played baseball, football and basketball at the same Arroyo High that dumped his son's team in the first round last year.

Noah has an older sister, 20-year-old Justina. She played softball and soccer at Liberty of Brentwood and is currently at Cal Berkeley.

He also has a younger sister, 16-year-old Danika. She's at Liberty where she does cheer and gymnastics.

Baseball is Perio's passion and his dream is to some day play in the major leagues, but its football at De La Salle where he feels he's learned life's most important lessons.

At some schools, Perio could have caught 60 or more passes but in the offensive scheme at De La Salle he rarely got his hands on the ball. When he did he caught 15 passes for 253 yards (16.87 yard average) with three touchdowns, including an 85-yarder against Amador Valley of Pleasanton. He also had a TD rushing last season

"I feel good about what I've done at De La Salle. I've worked hard to put my best effort on the field,” he said and then continued. "Football and particularly the football coaches have been great. They stress life goals on you. Football is where I learned to do good not only on the field but in life.”

Part of doing good in life means continuing education, and although Noah would like to go high in the June baseball draft, college is heavy on his mind.

"I'm looking to play pro baseball. Baseball could definitely be the ticket, but placement (in the draft) is a big thing for me. I want to make sure my college is paid for.”

As for colleges the 3.1 GPA student has narrowed it down to Loyola Marymount or Long Beach State, both excellent baseball schools.

He'll probably study sports management so whether or not he makes it in the pros he can still work in the sports business.

Besides having some advice for up-and-coming ballplayers he also likes to work with younger kids and did so last summer training and working with them at camps put on by former major-leaguer Brad Wellman.

"For younger kids they need to stay focused and work hard. Never give up on your dreams. If you have dreams of playing at the upper level of baseball you can never lose sight of you dreams or you can lose it all.”

Student-athletes at De La Salle get a lot of hype and attention so we weren't sure what Perio would say when we asked him how he felt about being named the ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Boys State Athlete of the Week.

What we found was he's a humble and sincere kid.

"It's a great feeling to be recognized. I feel really honored to achieve this award with the others you mentioned, especially with a lot of other great players out there who are just as deserving.”

Sounds like a young man who listens to his parents and the teachers and coaches at De La Salle who have taught him well.  

To send in a state athlete of the week nomination of your own, email highlights to mark@studentsports.com by 12 noon on Mondays. To reach writer Harold Abend, email marketingharold@yahoo.com.