What Jessy Vega can do on a soccer field is admirable. What he endured to continue playing the game he loves is astounding.

As a forward on the Wheatland boys team, Vega can look unstoppable. He blows past defenders, shreds opposing midfielders and flummoxes goalkeepers.

In three postseason games this season, Vega tallied six goals. His effort propelled the Wheatland boys soccer team to the Northern Section Division I title. The unlikely — the last-seeded Pirates were 3-8-2 heading into the postseason — playoff run culminated with a 2-1 win over Corning in the championship game, with Vega notching both scores.

"He's probably a step and a half faster than all of the other players on the field," said former Pirates coach Rusty Gordon, who finished his tenure with the Pirates after their victory over the Cardinals on Feb. 28. "You can't say one guy makes the team. But he definitely made the team play better."

For Vega, he was just happy to be on the field.

Vega's freshman year included doctors' visits, emotional family members and a procedure to repair a congenital heart defect that is the second-leading cause of death among athletes.

It all started with a routine sports physical. It ended with Vega going under the knife on Dec. 20, 2007 to repair, what is called in medical terms, an "anomalous origin of the coronary artery."

Put simply, the artery started in the wrong place and had the potential to be deadly if not discovered.

"About 19 percent of the athletes that die on the field have some type of coronary abnormality," said Dr. Iman Kahwaji, a pediatric cardiologist who treats Vega.

In Vega's case, "the main pulmonary artery sat on top of the coronary artery," said Kahwaji while referring to a model heart on the desk of his Yuba City office. "His (Vega's) condition is more rare than others. Usually you have one artery arising abnormally. Both of his arose from an abnormal location."

The condition is dangerous because when exercising, it can cause compression which "can cause death in young athletes," said Kahwaji, who added the "only option is surgery."

Vega's abnormality came to light when he went to his primary care physician for a physical. While there, he was given an electrocardiogram (EKG) and it read an abnormal heartbeat. It resulted in a trip to Dr. Kahwaji's office, where an echocardiogram (ultrasound) and CT scan subsequently confirmed the then 14-year-old's heart was in danger, needed complicated surgery and required him to immediately stop partaking in a sport that he had played since he started walking.

"I didn't want to know about that," said Vega. "I love sports. Soccer has been my life. I couldn't believe it, I started crying so much."

But for Vega, what made the situation even more heart wrenching was telling his mother and father, who speak limited English.

"They had a translator and the translator didn't want to tell them right then," he said. "When I turned around to my mom, tears starting come out of my eyes and she knew right away it was bad."

Vega was scared, his family was terrified, but the only thing on his mind was soccer.

"When they said I needed surgery it came to my head that I wanted it done as soon as possible," Vega said. "I wanted to play sports again right away."

And so, five days before Christmas, Vega underwent what is called a LeCompte procedure at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento.

"The procedure moves the pulmonary artery away from the abnormal course of the coronary artery, creating 'space' for the coronary artery and preventing it from being pinched between the aorta and pulmonary artery," according to Dr. Richard Mainwaring, who performed the surgery.

Kahwaji simplified.

"You can practically put your fingers between them," he said.

The procedure went "very well and Jessy was discharged on Christmas eve," wrote the surgeon. For all parties involved, it was a triumph.

But for someone like Kahwaji — who has to deal with literal heart break in children — the result was a resounding success for a physician who has been pushing for preventative screenings like the one that may have saved Vega's life.

"It's a very gratifying experience," he said. "Jessy is the perfect case for screening with echocardiograms for competitive athletes."

After the surgery, all Vega wanted to do was get back on the field. For three months after the procedure, he rested. When four months rolled around, he tried to jog, but had trepidation toward winding up his new and improved circulatory system. It wasn't until the summer that Vega started to rediscover his game.

"In June I started juggling the ball and in August I started playing with friends," he said. "After that I started getting more confidence."

And finally, he had the ability to play for the Pirates.

"I was so excited, you don't even know," he said.

What transpired was a season full of ups and downs that ended in jubilation with Vega emerging as the undisputed hero.

"It was unbelievable, I was so happy," he said of winning the section crown. "I ran to all of my teammates and hugged them."

Since the surgery, Vega feels fine. The only tense moment was when he felt like fainting while in the shower two weeks after the surgery.

All the evidence needed to conclude Vega has had successful recovery is the frequency of his doctor's visits. At first Vega saw Kahwaji once a month, which became every other month. That switched to four times a year and eventually it became the annual check-up that he has now.

His solid play on the pitch also shows that Vega — who has aspirations of playing professional soccer — is more than OK. The only proof Vega was ever in danger of being a sad statistic is the scar across his chest.

"To me its nothing, I take it like I don't have anything on my chest," Vega said. "Sometimes I remember it and I start thinking about how I felt, so I try to forget about it."