The Grind, presented by Bank of Clarendon: Crestwood's Hernandez-Lara back on the pitch after knee injury erased senior football season

Crestwood's Jorge Hernandez-Lara was meant to kick a ball. He grew up with a passion for soccer after watching the sport on TV. He and his older brother, Julio, spent hours in the backyard honing their craft before turning their attention to club and eventually suiting up for the Knights.

As Jorge started high school, then-assistant soccer coach Jonathan Ray convinced the young soccer standout to try his foot at a new sport in the fall. Jorge soon developed a love for kicking footballs and became one of the most successful kickers in program history, scoring 69 total points between field goals and extra points as a sophomore.

Jorge was developing into a kicker who could compete at the next level when an ACL injury late in his junior soccer season changed everything. After surgery, he fought to get back on the field by the end of the year, eventually stepping back onto the field in the first round of the playoffs. Now, he's hoping to lead the Knights to a region title on the pitch as he works to end his high school career on a high note.

"My goal is to come back from this injury and win the region, to win Coach Ray his first region after taking over the boys team," Jorge said. "For most of the seniors, that's their goal, too, to win region and go to state. We've all got that goal that, after spring break, we've gotta beat everybody."

FOLLOWING BIG BRO'S FOOTSTEPS

When Jorge was an eighth-grader, his brother was a senior lighting it up for the Knights. Julio led the team with 14 goals as they won a region title in 2022. At the time, Crestwood didn't have enough players for a junior varsity squad, so Jorge found other ways to get involved with the program.

"We saw early on how dedicated he was," said Jonathan, who served as an assistant for his father, Jack, at the time. "He came in underneath his brother and, during his eighth-grade year, even though we didn't have a JV team, he was still able to come out and be a part of the program, whether it was being a ball boy, being a team manager and just being around the guys early on. You saw his work ethic then."

As a freshman, Jorge quickly carved out a role on the back line. As a freshman, he was the right backer and shifted to sweeper as a sophomore. After watching Julio and the Knights win the region as a middle-schooler, Jorge knew he had to do his part to make sure Crestwood could repeat.

"That gave me high expectations and motivation to come in and do the same thing," Jorge said. "At first, I did feel a lot of pressure. A couple of games into it, I started feeling like myself. The pressure left, and I started feeling like myself."

TRYING FOOTBALL

Before that freshman soccer season, Jorge decided to give kicking a shot in the fall. Because he was constantly around the soccer program as a middle-schooler, Jonathan had plenty of time to try to recruit the younger Hernandez-Lara sibling.

"It wasn't something he really wanted to do, but I saw that potential in him early on," Jonathan said. "I didn't really beg him, but I kept bringing it up, kept bringing it up, and he finally took the next step to come out there."

The early results were rough, but Jonathan knew Jorge had the skillset to become a strong kicker once he adjusted to the new mechanics.

"Those first few weeks, it was bad," Jonathan said with a chuckle. "But he kept coming out. He saw something that he wasn't naturally good at and he didn't like that, so he wanted to get better. He could've quit early on because he didn't see immediate change. He worked at it, and halfway through his season as a JV player, he just started draining it. I think that's when that bug started catching him."

By his sophomore season, Jorge was nearly automatic. He made 63 of his 68 extra point attempts and connected on a pair of field goals, finishing with 69 points on the season. He was Crestwood's third-leading scorer behind two star seniors, quarterback Javion Martin and running back Azarian Yates, and helped the Knights win the region title along with a pair of playoff victories.

Jorge quickly learned the mindset required to succeed on the gridiron, which he feels helped him on the soccer field.

"Sometimes the pressure is there," Jorge said. "As a kicker, your heart is probably going to be beating fast but, overall, once you see the field goal post, you look at the ball and get locked in, you've got to trust your long snapper and your holder that everything is going to be good, that you're going to finish the kick and everybody is going to be cheering."

During his junior year, those cheers kept coming. Crestwood didn't have the same historic offense they had during his sophomore season, but Jorge was a perfect 32-32 on his extra points and went 5-8 on field goals with a long of 42. If the Knights got close to the end zone, CHS head coach Roosevelt Nelson felt like Jorge could put them on the scoreboard.

"He was a major weapon for us," Roosevelt said. "He showed throughout practice and the way he approached the field every day, taking care of his business. I loved it. He's going to be successful, no doubt about it."

As a junior, Jorge showed his mettle from the first game of the season. The Knights were locked in a 14-14 tie with Manning in their season opener, and the junior buried a 27-yard field goal to lift the Knights to victory.

"We knew he'd do it because he'd done it in practice," Roosevelt said of the kick. "That's how he prepares for games. He was a true testament to doing the right thing all of the time."

MENTALITY

Jorge was able to sink clutch kicks like that because he learned how to harness the energy that comes with those stressful situations as a kicker.

"In football, your mindset has to be prepared 100% because there will be times when the team will need you and you have to step up to be that person. You can change the game, or you can win the game," Jorge said. "I learned that my junior year against Manning. I had a great summer, got ranked 3.5 stars, and that first game was against Manning. I ended up kicking a field goal against Manning to win the game."

He takes the same approach to soccer. He's played all over the soccer field throughout his life on the pitch and knows that there is a certain level of mental toughness that comes with being the last player standing between a striker and his keeper.

"I try to tell my teammates that playing defense is not easy, but it's not hard. But if you come in with a weak mindset, the opponent is going to come in and eat you up," he said. "If you come in with a strong mindset, you should be good; the ball won't get through you; no player will get through you. It's all depending on the mindset."

The placekicker mindset helped Jorge earn the Knights a victory just last week. Crestwood traveled to South Florence on Tuesday, March 31, and were tied with the Bruins after two overtime periods. With the game on the line, Jorge had the last shot to send the Knights home happy, and he delivered.

"Jorge was in the No. 5 spot for the PK shootout. If he misses it, we go to sudden death; if he makes it, it's game over. I figured it would come down to that No. 5 spot and I'm going to put my best guy there," said Jonathan, who took over the boys program this spring. "You get a lot of pressure with PATs and field goals during football season because all eyes are on you. It's one of those things where people, even in the stands, say you only have one job, but kicking is a very hard thing to do, and everyone's eyes are on you.

"That's one thing I've always seen in Jorge. He has the drive to be want to put in those pressure situations, and he's never failed us."

THE INJURY

Last spring, Jorge and the Knights were going through a pretty normal season. Jorge was having a solid junior campaign, scoring five goals despite spending most of his time on defense. When the Knights hosted Wilson on April 22, everything changed.

Crestwood keeper Da'Monjaz Simon came out of the net to play a ball as a Wilson player started making an approach. Jorge tried to get out of the way of his goalie, but his knee had other plans.

"My knee just kind of gave out on me. I felt a pop, and instantly my mind went blank," Jorge said. "At that moment, I knew something was wrong and I kind of broke down on the field because I knew it was something so bad, to the point where I couldn't even walk. Fast forward, and I find out I tore my ACL. Whenever I found out, my world stopped."

In an instant, Jorge's future went into limbo. He was already starting to get attention from college football coaches but wasn't sure if those opportunities would dry up without a senior season.

"At first, I did think about not going to college to play football because of how heartbroken I was that I didn't get to play my senior year," Jorge said. "It was very hard for me, but I just had to trust God. Everybody tells me God did it for a reason. I believe God did it for a reason, so I trusted God and, thankfully, I did get my first offer off my junior film. Ever since, I was motivated, and I never turned back."

Jorge was determined to do whatever it took to get back on the field. He made a promise to his teammates that he would be back by the first round of the playoffs, and he worked his tail off to make that happen.

"I felt a lot of motivation to come back," Jorge said. "That was the reason I came back stronger."

But Crestwood needed another kicker in the meantime. Noah Kiggins, another CHS soccer player, took over the position. Rather than sulk, Jorge became a mentor for the sophomore kicker.

"I told him, 'I know you can't kick, but be that mentor guy and help him out as much as you can. I want you to be the coach when I'm not looking.' He did that with not just Noah, but all of the younger kickers," Jonathan said. "I think that helped him drive through that recovery process and when he was able to finally dress out in the playoffs."

When the Knights traveled to Hartsville for the first round of the playoffs, Jorge was dressed out and ready to kick. Unfortunately, it was a tough evening for the Knights, as they lost 45-8. They scored one touchdown and Jorge was lined up to kick, but a penalty on Hartsville put Crestwood on the one-yard line, and the Knights elected to go for two. Still, Jorge was able to punt and be out on the field with his teammates one more time.

"It was very emotional that day," he said. "A week before, I had a doctor's appointment, and I told the doctor I wanted to play in that first round of the playoffs. He cleared me and I came back and told my teammates, and everyone was happy that I was playing. It was fun, very emotional. Overall, I did enjoy the moment with my teammates; that's something I'll never forget."

Jorge did get a chance to kick again as a senior. He took part in the I-20 Classic, a senior showcase game played at Brookland-Cayce on Jan. 10, where he finally got a chance to line up and knock one through the uprights.

"Everything he's done in the past helped him get into that senior showcase game at Brookland-Cayce, and he was able to kick," Jonathan said. "That one PAT/field goal, that's what he was wanting all year, and he got it."

Because Jorge was so successful during his first two seasons kicking for the Knights, he still has a few offers on the table. He's still waiting to see if any other programs will reach out, but he's thrilled to still have a future in the sport.

"Right now, I have like four offers. Of those four, I do have one in mind, but I'm still keeping my options open," he said.

FINAL SEASON FOR THE KNIGHTS

Jorge still has one season to finish at Crestwood as he suits up for the Knights this spring. CHS struggled a bit out of the gate, going 2-4 in their first six games, but they've found their footing during the last few weeks, jumping over .500 at 6-5 entering spring break.

"At the start of the season, it was very rough; we couldn't find the back of the net. As the season went on, all of us got together and had that brother bond that nobody can separate," Jorge said. "We all come in, we joke around; we all get along together. As the season went on, we started making some changes in our formations and we started playing as a team, and it's falling into place."

It took Jorge a few games to get his feet back under himself. While his knee felt fine, Jorge had to find the confidence to cut on it. It was a little challenging with a bulky brace, but he's grown more comfortable throughout the spring.

"That first game was kind of rough for me; I didn't have confidence. It was so hard for me because of my knee brace. I don't like wearing it. But it was very hard for me, a lot of things going in, worried that I would get hurt again," Jorge said. "As time went on, I got comfortable, I got my role and everything started getting going, so I was like, 'There's no looking back no more.' My mentality was that I had to come in strong, play good, and that I was the best one on the field and that I worked so hard that no one could beat me on the field."

The turning point for Jorge was the Knights' first region game, a 1-0 win over South Florence at home where he scored the team's lone goal.

"They were playing hard, we were playing hard, a lot of cutting in and out. Ever since that game, I felt like I was back to normal," Jorge said. "My knee brace didn't bother me that much, and I felt like I'm back, I'm good, so this should be fine. I just kept it rolling from there."

Jorge is tied for the team lead with seven goals on the season, matching fellow senior Marc Joseph. Jorge has managed to find the back of the net despite primarily serving as a defensive player. While Jorge might be able to pile up goals as a striker, he knows that it's equally important to keep the opposition from scoring. Jonathan relishes having a player who is willing to do whatever it takes to win, rather than focusing on his own personal statistics.

"It makes my job a lot easier when you have a kid like that," the CHS head coach quipped. "Every position my dad and I asked Jorge to play, he's said, 'All right, I'll do it' and not batted an eye, not asked why, it's just, 'All right, I'll do it.' It makes your job as a coach a lot easier because you know you have someone you can trust that's willing to do it and he's going to give 110% in everything he does."

That mindset also shows in Jorge's leadership for the Knights as they look to make a push for a region title after spring break.

"He's definitely played a big role in the leadership. This year has probably been the closest team I've seen in about seven years, and that all goes to the leadership," Jonathan said. "Everyone respects him because they see what he's able to do on the soccer field. He's one of our leading scorers out of the back line. Everyone sees what he's able to do, and they want to do what he does; they want to be like him. They see my relationship with him, and that's what the kids are driving for because they know I put him in all of those big-time pressure spots. He and Marc Joseph really drive that leadership role."