Calexico head football coach Fernando Solano continues to make an impact beyond the gridiron

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA) - For Calexico High School head football coach Fernando Solano, the workday begins long before the first bell rings and continues long after the final whistle. While Solano is responsible for building a competitive football program, he also serves as a special education teacher, bringing the same commitment to developing young athletes into his work in the classroom.

Solano's day starts at 7 a.m. with strength training alongside his athletes before heading into the classroom to teach geometry in special education. Once the school day ends, his responsibilities continue with lesson planning, supporting students, scouting opponents and preparing his team for Friday nights. Balancing both roles can mean working as many as 15 hours a day.

Despite the differences between coaching football and teaching, Solano believes the two professions share essential qualities.

"To be a coach and a teacher, you have to be highly organized, and you got to be a great communicator," Solano said. "I think those things overlap in the world of football and education. Without those two things, you're going to have a loose ship."

Both roles present unique challenges, but Solano approaches them with an understanding shaped by his own experiences as a student.

With 24 years in education, including 11 years in special education, the veteran educator understands that every student learns differently. His perspective is rooted in his own struggles growing up as an English learner.

"I remember growing up, just being a student that English was my second language. Reading for me didn't come easy at all," Solano said. "It was until, like, fifth or sixth grade that I felt comfortable reading."

Those experiences helped Solano recognize that his students may be facing challenges similar to the ones he encountered. Rather than allowing those obstacles to define their abilities, he works to help students develop the confidence to overcome them.

"I'm able to get in their shoes and feel that frustration they feel sometimes," Solano said. "A lot of times, kids don't know where to ask for help at times, or they feel embarrassed, and just making them feel like we're here for you."

Solano also believes students sometimes underestimate their own potential, making it important for educators to challenge them while providing the support they need to succeed.

"Sometimes we underestimate ourselves," Solano said. "You feel like they're not capable of doing that, and then they do it, and they just build that confidence."

That philosophy extends beyond the classroom and onto the football field, where Solano sees similarities between developing students academically and helping athletes improve their skills.

"We have a wide range of student-athletes as far as their skills are concerned. We also see that in the classroom," Solano said. "I don't get the best four- or five-star athletes. It's our job to develop them through these four years of high school. Same thing in the classroom."

For Calexico High School Principal Lucio Padilla, Solano's dedication to students is evident in both of his roles.

"I feel very fortunate to have Coach Solano on the staff," Padilla said. "It's always of great advantage to a principal to have someone of that character and of that caliber in terms of not only his knowledge of the X's and O's, if you will, but also wanting to have such a caring heart for our students."

Calexico athletic director Andrew Alvarez also sees the impact Solano makes through his leadership and the example he sets for his players.

When asked what Solano brings to the football program that does not appear on the scoreboard, Alvarez pointed to a presence that goes beyond words.

"There's a certain kind of leadership that he provides," Alvarez said. "There is a presence, right? This leadership that's just not spoken words. It's actions, right in and out, a way that, again, supports the students."

For Solano, that support begins with helping students understand that their circumstances do not determine their futures.

In special education, he emphasizes that a label should never limit what a student believes is possible. Instead, he views the resources and support provided through special education as tools to help students succeed, graduate and pursue their goals beyond high school.

"I've always passed the message to all my special kids. Just because you have the label of special education, that doesn't define you," Solano said. "You have it because we're using it as a tool for you to be successful so you can graduate and do whatever you want beyond high school."

Solano carries that same message into his football program, where he is working to change the expectations surrounding Calexico football and show his players that the program's past does not have to dictate its future.

"Just because in the previous years we had limited success doesn't mean that we can't have success," Solano said. "That doesn't mean that we have to be that. It's like, no, we can change that."

Ultimately, Solano's goals extend beyond wins and losses. Whether he is teaching geometry or preparing his players for a Friday night matchup, his focus remains on helping young people recognize their potential, overcome challenges and develop the confidence to succeed long after they leave his classroom or the football field.