Kayla Viramontes, Andrew Hernandez named Santa Fe Athletes of the Year

Kayla Viramontes and Andrew Hernandez are named Athletes of the Year for Santa Fe High School. Kayla competed in cross country and track and Andrew competed in basketball, track and volleyball. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)

SANTA FE SPRINGS — Two student-athletes stood above the rest, as the school year ended at Santa Fe High School recently at the annual farewell assembly in the gym in May.

Seniors Kayla Viramontes and Andrew Hernandez were named 2021-22 Athletes of the Year by the Chiefs coaches after successful four-year high school careers.

Viramontes, who broke many distance records at the school, ran both cross country and track and field, while Hernandez was an outstanding basketball player and played volleyball and participated in the field events in his senior year and played one year of football.

High praise came from coaches for these two athletes.

“From the start of her freshmen year, to her final race as a senior, Kayla always showed that she was a motivated athlete,” Santa Fe head track coach Phil Torres said. She was always one of the first to arrive and the last to leave. Her “lead by example” attitude rubbed off on the rest of the team.”

“I would say the highlight of her high school athletic career was being named as Santa Fe’s “Female Athlete of the Year” at the school’s farewell assembly.”

Chiefs basketball coach Leonard Romero echoed the same for Hernandez.

“I’m so proud of him,” Romero said. “I was so excited to put down all of his accomplishments during his four years.

“How many more Andrew’s can I get over time? With ‘Drew’s leadership, he got it and the rest of the (basketball) team followed and finished.

“To have him go up and participate in track was pretty awesome. Try something new, I told him.”

Both Hernandez and senior basketball player and friend Mike Rodriguez were on the Track and Field team in only their senior seasons.

Romero also noted that the last three Male Athletes of the Year were on the basketball team – Jason Givens, Joey Peralta and Hernandez.

“It’s what they put into it on and off the court,” he added.

In addition, Torres added his praise for Hernandez’ only year competing in track and field.

“Regarding athlete Andrew Hernandez, we (my jump coaches and I) got the opportunity to work with (him) his senior year, that’s when he decided to come out for track,” Torres said. “He was recruited by basketball coach Leonard Romero following his final season of basketball.

“I can only imagine if Andrew had started track his freshmen year.”

Two outstanding student-athletes, two outstanding individuals. Here are their stories.

Kayla Viramontes

Kayla started her running career at the age of 12, but watching the Olympics years earlier was actually the springboard that propelled her to the sport.

“I remember watching the Olympics, specifically track and field, and wanting to be just like them,” said Viramontes. “My brother and I would set up books in the hallway and jump over them like we were the hurdlers on TV.”

Viramontes, who would then join a club team in Downey (Instride) from the urging of her mother, said of the beginning of a six-year career, “I felt constant pressure from my parents to do really well in the sport, which also kicked in my anxiety that constantly had for six years,” she said.

As a freshman on the varsity, she set the school record in the 3-Mile and helped her team advance to CIF for the first time since her older sister, Sabrina, had led Santa Fe to CIF 13 years prior.

Later that year, she became the Del Rio League champ in the 800 and qualified for three events in CIF – 800, 1600 and the 4 x 400.

She also went to USATF Junior Olympic Nationals for Cross Country in her freshman year.

After becoming captain in her sophomore year, Viramontes was determined to become league champ in Cross Country.

She accomplished the feat by defeating the No. 1 runner from La Serna, Maddie Franco, at the finish line by a nose.

“When it came down to league finals, I doubted myself a lot and didn’t know if I could pull off becoming league champ as a sophomore,” Viramontes said. “But that’s where the support of my family, friends, coaches, and teammates come in. They really supported and believed in me and that really gave me a boost of confidence.

“At the last 60 meters I could hear my coach and my dad yell, ‘go, kick now,’ and that’s when I went for it.”

The pandemic interrupted her sophomore year of track, as it did for all of CIF and that almost derailed her for the sport.

“During this time it was hard for me to stay disciplined with the uncertainty of a track/cross country season and I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about quitting multiple times,” explained Viramontes. “But I pushed through it and had a mini Cross Country season.”

Highlighting her junior year of Track, she became the two-time defending league champion in the 800 and won the 1600, while posting a PR in CIF with a 5:18.

In her senior year in Cross Country she completed her goal of a three-time league champion and thanks her coach, Robert Ramirez, for supporting her.

The first race of the season was the Cool Breeze Invitational and she broke her PR with a time of 17:52 in the 3 Mile.

“I couldn’t have done that without coach Bob (Ramirez),” she added. “I seriously believe that if he wasn’t there in that moment of me feeling tired and wanting to give up, I wouldn’t have gotten the time I did.”

Viramontes also added about coach Ramirez – “More specifically, coach Bob, he’s been there through all of my ups and downs and without him I wouldn’t have accomplished the things I did throughout all of my four years. He will forever have a special place in my heart.”

In track and field as a senior, she defended her 800 title (3-time champ), was a two-time defending league champ in the 1600 and broke a school record in the mile with a time of 5:07.

She was again made it to USATF (cross country) and became an All-American finishing 4th in the 17-18 division.

“Track and Cross Country taught me a lot,” concluded Viramontes. “I wouldn’t be the person I am today without it.

“I also want to recognize my friends and family for always supporting and believing in me, but I especially want to thank my coaches.”

Torres summed up her career.

“Regarding athlete Kayla Viramontes, I had the privilege of working with her for the last four years,” Torres said. “Coach Ramirez and I had previously worked with her older sisters in both Cross Country and Track, so we knew their running capabilities and mental attitudes regarding competition.”

Notable highlights:

Four-year varsity for Cross Country and Track and Field, team Captain for both Track & Cross Country for the last 3 years, qualified for CIF (Track) over the last three years for the 800, 1600 and 4x400 relay events, 2018-19 DRL Female Athlete of the Year, school records in the 800 and 1600, 24th D2 CIF finals at Mt. SAC and undefeated in the DRL (XC and T& F).

Viramontes will continue her education and attend Cal State Fullerton in the fall.

Andrew Hernandez

“What it means to win this award is unimaginable, but also rewarding,” Hernandez said. “It is unimaginable because if I told my freshman self that I would win this award, I wouldn’t (have) believed myself. It was rewarding because I have worked so hard at all the sports I’ve competed in.

“As a student-athlete, the student comes first and I was able to manage my school work and athletics very well. I made sure I was on top of my notes and doing my homework every night, even if it meant staying up late. Along with being in ASB for two years, I made sure that whatever assignment was given to me, it would be done as soon as possible. All my student effort led me to have a cumulative GPA of 3.67.”

In addition to playing varsity all four years on the basketball team, Hernandez was on the freshman football team, played varsity Volleyball for coach Chris Komer in his freshman and junior years, and Track and Field in his senior year.

“He’s legit and he has come a long way,” Romero said. “He was with me since his freshman year on varsity and in his sophomore year he was the leader of the team.”

At the end of his sophomore year, Hernandez was voted the Most Improved Player.

After the 2020 season when the pandemic hit, the 2021 season didn’t start until Spring and Romero noted that everything got better.

“He was a front runner and our leader that season,” added Romero.

Things improved for the team the next season, as the Chiefs finished second in the DRL.

“Going into the summer before his senior season, the progression and leadership of ‘Drew was awesome,” Romero said. “He had 120% to do with what we did this past year as we finished second in league.”

Basketball was Hernandez’ first love and he made the varsity in his freshman year.

“First, coming into high school I had my sights set on joining the basketball team,” Hernandez said. “My first experience of freshman basketball at Santa Fe started in the summer and it was a fun and memorable time.”

Hernandez soon got the chance to play varsity as the season started.

“As the season for basketball came closer, I was given the chance to play varsity basketball,” he said. “I knew it was going to be a challenge seeing how fast they played, how tall everyone else was compared to me, and the skill difference.”

Beginning with his sophomore year, Hernandez was all set to join the Track team, but his teammates suggested Volleyball.

“Freshman volleyball was a quick season, but it became a new sport that I became well at quickly and I was excited about another season,” said Hernandez, who became close to his new coach Comer.

It was back to basketball in his sophomore season and he felt more prepared, but still not where he wanted to be as a player.

“I played most of the season as a sixth man until the second half of the league,” Hernandez added. “Coach Romero switched around the lineup and I played starting point guard.

“At the start of the second half of the season we were 2-2 and with this switch, we ended the season 5-3.”

As the starting point guard for the season-ending, he experienced the pressure of the one and learned to adapt.

His sophomore year of Volleyball was shortened due to the pandemic with only one game played.

After nearly 11 months without sports, the Spring of 2021 became all bunched up with the traditional Winter sport of basketball now being played in the Spring, along with Volleyball.

Therein lied a problem for many an athlete trying to decide which sport to play.

Hernandez chose to play both basketball and volleyball.

“That season of sports was by far the toughest of my four years at Santa Fe,” he said. “This was because practices were back-to-back or I had a practice than a game or I missed practices of one sport.

“There was a major struggle with the basketball team that season and I only hoped that next season (Fall 2021) would be different,” he explained. “However, for volleyball that season we made CIF but came up short.”

Hernandez enjoyed his last season of basketball after the team struggled in his junior year.

“The team did so well and we exceeded the expectations and we were an underdog the whole season,” Hernandez added. “We managed to turn a 1-8 season my junior year into a 5-3 season along with making it to the second round of playoffs.”

In his final semester of his senior year, Hernandez decided to finally try Track and Field, as he joined the jump and sprint teams.

He competed in the long jump, high jump, 4x100, and the 100. In his first season in track, he made the league finals with a jump of 19-9.

Hernandez started the season at the varsity level competing in four events – 100, long jump, high jump and the 4x100 once in a while.

“As we got into the league meets, we narrowed it down to keep him in the jumps,” Torres said. “I believe all those practices on the basketball court paid off.”

Notable accomplishments:

High Jump: Had PR of 5 feet 6 inches at the Condor Invitational, then finished off the season with 5 feet 5 inches at league finals where he finished 5th in league.

100 Meters: Ran a PR of 12.4

Long Jump: Hernandez started with a jump of 16-2, then ended with a season best 19-9 in league finals. He improved over the course of the season 3-7 inches.

Torres said of that accomplishment: “When I think of the fact that Andrew jumped 3 feet 7 inches further than his first jump back in February, I think of Bob Beamon’s incredible long jump back in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. There’s a term for it…. “Beamonesque.”

“Throughout my tenure in sports, I had coaches who helped me be successful,” Hernandez said. “Coach Romero was my biggest help at Santa Fe. I knew him before entering high school and my relationship now is something many had with a coach. Not only has he helped me as a basketball player, but as a young man too.

“Another coach that comes to mind is Coach Chav. He was my assistant basketball coach and not only did he teach me discipline, but how to view situations differently.”

Hernandez spoke of his times at Santa Fe: “Memories that I would like to speak of at Santa Fe are the crowds at basketball games. The energy was different during my senior year and I loved hearing the cheers, screams, and applause from them. I thank my fellow Chieftains for providing me with the best senior year.”

Hernandez will attend Rio Hondo and eventually wants to attend a four-year college majoring in mechanical engineering.