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Home / Sports News / All-State 4A First Team football honors for versatile St. Michael’s senior Joey Fernandez, Jr., and his dad is proud of this accomplishment

All-State 4A First Team football honors for versatile St. Michael’s senior Joey Fernandez, Jr., and his dad is proud of this accomplishment

Junior Horseman Tayo Regenold also made First Team, on the second team were seniors Jeremiah Jacques and Israel Chavez

By Arnie Leshin
Arnie Leshin

An injury to his collarbone his freshman year was the only thing that could keep Joey Fernandez, Jr., off the football field.

His sophomore season, St. Michael’s head coach Joey Fernandez, Sr., knew what his son was capable of and inserted him as a starting inside linebacker, although young Joey had much more to bring to the lineup, namely the offense.

His junior season is when he blossomed and his versatility was noticed.

“He had that attitude, that work ethic, lots of desire, and the talent,” said his dad, “and not only did we call on him for defense, but on offense we made him a running back, as well as a wide receiver, and he even took some turns at quarterback when injuries occurred there.”

He was good then, and in his senior season, good enough to be chosen for the 4A All-State team. He was equally adept on defense and on offense. He always came to play, sometimes despite an injury. He was eager to make stops on defense, eager to run the ball, eager to catch it, and played wherever needed, which included even throwing the ball.

He was a 5-foot-11. 170-pound bundle of versatility, one of the team co-captains where he displayed his leadership, and an important part of the team.

“I am very proud of him,” said his dad, “he became far beyond what I expected. As a junior and senior, he would have liked to run the ball more, but we needed him more as a receiver, and he and (quarterback) Antonio Gabaldon clicked.”

They became one of the better pass-catch duos in the state.

Fernandez, Sr., never bragged about his years as a player for St. Michael’s, but he had speed and fit right in as a stellar running back. Maybe he didn’t make All-State, but young Joey made him proud by gaining the honor.

“Joey is very deserving of this,” his dad said, “he worked hard for this. He was great to coach, he provided leadership, and preferred being on the field rather than on the sideline.”

The sideline is where he spent time when an injury occurred, and it was frustrating for him because he just wanted to snap on his helmet and race to the field. And when you play both ways as he did, there’s very little rest. But he shrugged this off.

As a wide receiver, he made some remarkable catches, sometime turned a short pass into a long gain. He finished with 1,305 receiving yards on 60 receptions, both school records, as well as career marks for him. He scored 14 touchdowns.

Then there was running the ball, where he picked up 374 yards and added nine more TDs. Here, too, he made a short gain into a big gain by following his blockers and turning on the speed.

And you can’t forget his ability to play both ways, for on defense he came up with 40 tackles, six for losses, picked off one pass and made six pass deflections.

For the record, he made All-State as a running back and as a lineman. But he also could have done the same as a pass-catcher, for it was these skills that also led to his selection.

And when you checked the roster, Fernandez was listed not only as a running back, linebacker and defensive end, but also as a punt returner, kick-off returner, and punter-kicker.

He also runs for the track and field team also coached by his father. As a freshman, he didn’t think he was fast enough, but he soon became a top-notch sprinter and even competed in the field events. He’s presently on the basketball team for the first time. But football is his favorite sport and he hopes to play college ball.

Of the five talented Fernandez children, only junior Joelyn will return next season. Currently, she’s on the track and field team and the basketball team, and she’s has been improving in both sports.

Also joining the 4A first team offense for the Horsemen was junior lineman Tayo Regenold, and he also earned a spot on the defensive line. On the second team, St. Michael’s landed two senior co-captains in lineman/outside linebacker Jeremiah Jacquez, and Israel Chavez, who gained a place as a secondary player.

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