Student-Athlete of the Week – Ryan Perrego

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – Ryan Perrego is a senior at Rancho Mirage High School and is a star golfer. Although it's a sport he said he never imagined he would excel at, he now has a growing passion for it. Perrego is the latest KESQ News Channel 3 student-athlete of the week.

"I was just trying to make the team freshman year," Perrego said. "And then I really started to see improvement, and with more work, the more I realized that I actually do have a future in the sport.” 

Perrego has only been playing golf since his freshman year, before that he was an amazing basketball player for the Rattlers. But he said golf proved to be a challenge, and that's exactly what made him like the sport.

“I always I strive to be to be better," Perrego said. "So, golf really just pushed me out of my comfort zone.”

“The running joke the last three years, was he was worse than every kid we've ever had, and now he's probably the best player we have," head coach Rob Hanmer said. "And it just goes to show you, if you work hard…you can have a chance at being successful.”

Perseverance has been the story of Perrego's high school career, especially after his sophomore year.

“I played basketball pretty much my whole life since, like seven or eight years old," Perrego said. "I was doing pretty well, [then I] got diagnosed with three brain tumors my sophomore year, and then I got a concussion I thought was it's best to step away from the game.”

Through all of his hardships, Perego said he's grown immensely as a person and his passion for golf has only gotten stronger. Now, he's working on planning a future of staying on the course.

"It just made me, honestly, a better person. Made me realize that everyone's going through something. It just gave me more empathy for other people," Perrego said. "I want to go to COD, hopefully play golf at COD [College of the Desert]. That's the goal but, I have to keep working to accomplish that goal for sure.”

Coach Hanmer said it speaks to Perrego's character that he didn't stop or complain about his circumstances following the diagnosis or losing basketball. Instead, he changed his direction and continued with golf.

“That's a great sign for his future," Hanmer said. "He just needs to enjoy every day and continue to do the things he loves doing and I'm excited to see his future.” 

The student-athlete of the week segment airs every Tuesday on KESQ News Channel 3.

If you know a senior who is a strong student, standout athlete and an exceptional person, submit a nomination to share@kesq.com.