Lorenzo Hernandez is named football coach at Whittier High
Lorenzo Hernandez, who was the football coach at Garfield for 24 years until stepping down after the 2024 season, is coming out of retirement to become head coach at Whittier High. He met with his new players Wednesday afternoon.
Hernandez helped elevate the Garfield program beyond the annual Garfield vs. Roosevelt rivalry game, with the Bulldogs becoming one of the best in the City Section year after year. He has been the school’s athletic director.
He rejoins former Garfield principal Andres Favela, who’s the principal at Whittier.
Whittier will be switching leagues in the fall, moving from the Del Rio League, in which the team has won one league game in the last three years.
Hernandez said he received approval from his family to return to coaching and sees Whittier similar to Garfield in receiving strong neighborhood support.