Central High School In Providence, Rhode Island is home to plenty of exceptional athletes. Senior football star, Jordy Fernandez, has shined on the offensive line the past few years, and as of yesterday (2/2) decided to take his talents to Franklin Pierce University next year to continue his football journey.
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Jordy first stepped on the gridiron at age 11. When asked about his experience his first year he responded "I was terrible" . His peewee teammates had already been playing for a couple years and had a slight advantage over young Jordy. It only took one season for Jordy to get the hang of this sport before he starting dominating on the offensive line.
Jordy kept growing, practicing, and working out separating himself from his peers more and more each year.
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Fast Forward to 2019, Jordy's sophomore year, he transferred to Central High School. The new school came with some new challenges for Jordy. He was no longer the best on his team. Coach Michael Washington met Jordy and saw the potential that he had. The coach's first impression of Jordy was that he was "a super big kid that was very very very coachable". His team had a very talented quarterback, and they were very offensively heavy. This team made it to the semi-finals, but that was not good enough for Jordy, or anyone in the program.
Then Covid-19 hit Rhode Island, and the fall football season was cancelled. Jordy was disappointed, but a shift in his attitude came when head coach Michael Washington reached out to Jordy and a few other leaders on the team. Coach told these players that nobody knows what is going to happen with the football season. At this point, Jordy knew "we had to work while nobody else was working".
Coach Michael Washington shared a story with me about the Covid year. Jordy would walk a few miles to work out with the defensive line just to put in a little bit of extra work, after he had already worked out with his offensive line. Stories like this illuminate the character that Jordy carried, the work ethic that he had was unmatched.
Spring of Jordy's Junior Year, Rhode Island officials decided that the football season would be shortened and played in between winter and spring sports. All of the hard work Jordy and his team put in during the offseason payed off. The team went undefeated that season and won the Rhode Island Division I Superbowl. When asked to reflect on his own performance that season, Jordy stated, "I had to step up for everybody".
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Jordy's Senior year, he was named a Captain of the team, because of all the grit and leadership he demonstrated the prior season.
This year would start off on a negative note. Certain circumstances and injuries caused Jordy to miss his first two games. Jordy knew that this was affecting his chances of playing football at the next level. On the third game of the season, Jordy suited up and played through some pain.
He explained, "I had to show everyone that I am fearless".
This beast like mindset translated to the turf, where Jordy was a leader on the offense and lead his team to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row.
The thought of playing in college was always in the back of Jordy's mind, however, the lack of college offers had him feeling nervous. Jordy constantly reminded himself "there is no more next year", so he gave his all into every play to attract the attention of college scouts.
A few days before the Super Bowl, Franklin Pierce University, reached out to head coach Michael Washington and expressed interest in Jordy. The game was played and Central lost to North Kingstown. Jordy was experiencing a wave of emotion as he just lost the biggest game of the year, and he still didn't know if this would be the last time he ever plays on a football team.
The day after the Super Bowl, Jordy's phone rang. His heartbeat began to speed up and sweat was coming from his palms. All those nerves vanished when he heard what the caller said. It was the Head Coach of Franklin Pierce University offering Jordy a spot on the team and a full scholarship.
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Jordy accepted the offer and looks forward to attending Franklin Pierce, where he will study physical therapy and of course, play football.
Coach Washington spoke about his expectations for Jordy at Franklin Pierce, he is confident that Jordy will reign supreme at the next level. "he has all the tools to play right away". These tools include size, strength, talent, and all of the intangibles that an athlete needs to play college ball.
The future is bright for Jordy Fernandez. The patience and leadership he developed in high school will allow him to succeed both on and off the field as Jordy moves on to the next chapter of his life.
Jack Ogilvie
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