When it comes to running, Alisal is known for their dominant cross country and track and field teams. We’ve even had a former athlete, Diego Estrada, compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics for Mexico. 

The program has been dominant for 15 years and this year has been no exception to dominance on the trails, thanks to senior Fernando Herrera. 

Herrera first fell in love 5 years ago. He started running in middle school. The beginning of his running journey began with his first mentor. His brother. “I saw my brother do it in middle school,” Herrera said. “He’s been a good role model.” 

Running always stood out from the other sports to Herrera. It created a sense of freedom and allowed him to fully express himself. “A certain thing that I loved about running is that I was able to create my own path,” Herrera said.

His talent was apparent from his freshman year, when he ran varsity. “He’s the first freshman boy since around 2016 to be on the varsity team,” head coach Steven Munoz said.

Herrera improved every year slowly but surely. “When you’re running as fast as Fernie is, you can’t drop 10 minutes, but just dropping 20-30 seconds, that is a huge accomplishment,” Munoz said. Herrera went from running 16:29.0 his freshman year to 14:45.9 this season in the 3 mile race on the course.

The hard work and dedication has paid off as he’s made some big statements. At the  Woodbridge Invitational this year, Herrera beat his personal record in the 5k with a time of 14:45.9, which landed him 5th place in the competition. “He’s the first Alisal athlete to break 15 minutes,” Munoz said.

A big part of his success comes from his roots as well. The people behind the scenes have had a big effect on Herrera. The main ones that have had an impact on him have been his parents and his grandmother. “They were always there everyday to support me,” Herrera said. Some others who also helped push him were his close friends and girlfriend. Head Cross Country and long distance track coach, Steven Munoz, has also had a big impact on him throughout his high school career. “He’s an athlete a coach wishes they had more of,” Munoz said.

Apart from receiving support from his parents, Herrera has also had some company on the track. Especially last year, the top dogs on the boys track and XC team were Herrera and Gustavo Perez, who is currently attending UC Davis and is currently continuing to train in order to continue his running career. “I think it was a benefit for both of them to have each other to push one another to the next level,” Munoz said.

Last season, Herrera developed in the shadow of Perez, however, they always had each other’s backs. “They were great together (Fernie & Gustavo),” Munoz said. “They really worked off of one another, especially during track season.” And with Perez’s departure, the responsibility Herrera was left to lead the team with the advice he gained from Perez. “He really took me in and he’s been an inspiration,” Herrera said.

After a very successful cross country season and career, Herrera is satisfied with his results, even if it didn’t go the way he imagined. “My last race as a Trojan really hurt because I was coming off of a sickness.” Herrera was able to go out with no regrets and left it all out on the course. His final time was 15:49.2 at the CCS Championships “I gave it my all,” Herrera said.

All his hard work had garnered some attention from Fresno Pacific and Stanislaus State. However, the main school on his mind was always Stanislaus State. “I am most excited about Stan State and what they have to offer,” Herrera said. 

On November 19th, Herrera signed his letter of intent with Stanislaus next fall as a cross country runner, “I took an official visit to Stan State and I liked it,” Herrera said. “I really liked the campus, and the people there and the coaches.”

Now, with his final high school track season right around the corner, Herrera will be atop of the leaderboard for the varsity boys. “My goals for track are to be able to run 4:12 for the 1600 and sub 9 for the 3200,” Herrera said.