Zion-Benton senior defender Brandon Peral is ending his career on a high note.

The beginning was a different story. A three-year starter for the Zee-Bees, Peral started high school at Carmel, where he experienced long commutes, played on the freshman team and suffered three ankle injuries.

“I learned so much at Carmel, but I always thought I would be on varsity,” he said. “I realized it takes time. The injuries I had were also pretty bad and slowed me.”

There was no slowing down Peral on a cold, windy and rainy Tuesday night in the Class 3A Barrington Regional semifinals. He scored a goal early in the second half of the second-seeded Zee-Bees’ 3-0 victory over 15th-seeded Grant.

“You wouldn’t know that he even plays center back because he’s all over the field,” Zion-Benton junior midfi

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