Cade Manor is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Goodyear High School for AZpreps365.com

Goodyear High linebacker coach David Hernandez’s path hasn’t been a straight one.

But it has been fueled by his relentless drive to improve, inspire, and help his community.

Whether it’s saving lives fighting fires, flying a plane, or coaching Goodyear football.

Hernandez graduated from high school in 2012, near Seattle. In high school, he played quarterback and safety for the football team. His favorite coach was Patrick Parnell, the defensive backs coach at the time.

After high school, Hernandez became a firefighter. He worked for the Pullman and Snohomish County Fire Departments in Washington until he was around 27 years old. It was then he questioned if it was something he wanted to continue pursuing.

“My dad asked me, ‘Hey, if you could do anything in this world regardless of time or money, what would you do?’" Hernandez said. "And so I said, ‘I always wanted to fly airplanes.”

That same night, Hernandez enrolled online at Utah Valley University for aviation sciences. He got a job as a driving instructor on the side. His first two semesters, he was a straight-A student.

“I was all right at school; I was never great at school,” Hernandez said. “I told myself I would do a semester or two and see how I like it. After that second one, I was like, ‘Man, I really get this a lot.’”

Hernandez went through so fast, he had to hand-write a letter to the dean to enroll in his next classes. They all required experience flying a plane, which he had yet to do.

“In my fourth semester, I was taking advanced aerodynamics and weather theory and all these things, and I had never even flown an airplane," Hernandez said. "So, it was kind of funny.”

A professor then told him about Aviate, a flight academy owned by United that was the first of its kind, opening up in Goodyear. Hernandez said he immediately applied, as well as another academy for JetBlue pilots. 

He got into both, which was, “harder to get into than Harvard," he said.

He then had to choose which one to attend. His deciding factor was scholarship opportunities, which Aviate offered. So, that’s what he chose, with the intent of receiving a scholarship.

Hernandez then made the move to Arizona, living outside of Washington for the first time. He applied for the Latino Pilots Association scholarship, which was a full ride scholarship worth $91,000.

A few months later, right before a seven-hour road trip, Hernandez received a call from the Latino Pilots Association's vice president. He was a finalist for the scholarship. 

He was told to get on a Zoom call for a final interview, but as it turns out, he was already selected.

“So we changed our route, rented a room at the Flagstaff library, and I drove the whole road trip in a suit and tie so I could do this call," Hernandez said. When he found out he won the scholarship, he said he cried and called his parents.

Hernandez graduated from Aviate in July 2024, and now works there as a flight instructor, building up his hours in order to become a regional airline pilot. Even after a thousand hours, flying a plane is just as beautiful to him as it was the first time.

“That first time was magical," Hernandez said. "But a lot of people say that that feeling wears off over time. For me, still a thousand hours later, I sit back and look out the window on takeoff and think, ‘This is magical.’”

Earlier this year, Hernandez was out at lunch with one of his best friends and high school teammates, who told Hernandez about a brand new high school opening in Goodyear. And who else to be the head coach than his favorite coach from high school, Parnell.

“After lunch, I immediately texted Pat,” Hernandez said. “Not even 30 seconds later, he gave me a call, asking if I was interested in coaching. It’s kind of funny how the world comes full circle.”

Parnell wasted no time adding Hernandez to his coaching staff.

“I just knew he’s a genuine dude that works his tail off,” Parnell said. “Who wouldn’t want that guy on the staff?”

Hernandez serves as an inspiring role model for Goodyear football. As a brand new school, the players don’t have juniors or seniors to learn from, and Hernandez fits that role beautifully.

“He leads by example,” said linebacker Carlos Loera-Hernandez. “He’ll walk us through a drill, and even if you make a mistake, you can always recover.”

Off the field, and outside the cockpit, Hernandez is dedicated to helping others, too. As assistant sirector of business development for the Latino Professionals in Aerospace, he helps raise scholarship funds and promote equal opportunity in aviation. 

The nonprofit has helped generate nearly $1 million in scholarships.

“We don’t believe that just because you’re Latino you should get more," Hernandez said. "We believe you should get equal opportunity. Our goal is to go out and tell people that anything is possible. That we’re here to support you throughout your journey and make sure that you have every opportunity and you have mentorship to go out and learn how to fly an airplane. If you’re willing to work hard, we’re going to help you.”

Hernandez has already accomplished so much, and he recently added completing a marathon to that impressive list. He is not one to shy away from a challenge, and he credits that to his drive to serve and help his community.

“At the end of the day, I know I have more gas in the tank,” he said. “I know I have more to give. I always want to be the best, and I want to make sure that I can help as many people as I can in my community. I love helping people. I love being available to provide an opportunity for people. And I know that I can’t be that light, that spark, if I’m pouring from an empty cup. I want to make sure that I feel fulfilled, and I know that the best way to do that for me is to keep accomplishing goals and trying to drive myself to be the best. I know that if I wake up and I give my best effort every day, I go to bed at night feeling like I did my best, and that’s what makes me happy.”