DOWNEY — This is a big time of year for senior student-athletes headed to the next step in their various sports in college or universities.

Many high schools held ceremonies honoring those athletes in the final weeks of school.

Downey High, which has the second largest attendance in the CIF-Southern Section, held a ceremony last week honoring 15 students in seven sports, which is three percent of the nearly 1,000 seniors.

Downey Athletic Director Mark Rand spoke and introduced the coaches who introduced their athletes.

“We are proud of these student-athletes for achieving on the athletic field, as well as in the classroom,” Rand said. “Their success and determination to reach their goals embodies what we teach and encourage with all students at Downey High School. “Once a Viking, Always a Viking.”

The following athletes and their sports: Girls Soccer – Paris Berrospe (Mount Mary University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin); Boys Soccer – Fabrizzio Jaramillo (Daemen University, Amherst, New York); Itzcoatl Sandoval (Wisconsin Lutheran, Milwaukee, WI); Eddie Gallardo (Cal Poly Pomona University); Christopher Ferrufino (Hope International University, Fullerton); Football – Aiden Chiles (Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR); Bryant Jose Carey (Weber State University, Ogden, Utah); Cheer – Andrea Gonzales (Westcliff University, Irvine); Scott Hensen (Navarro College, Corsicana, Texas); Competitive Cheer – Jaedyn Parker (Jessup University, Rocklin, CA); Cheer – Stunt – Jossie Barnette (Hope International University, Fullerton); Gymnastics – Emily Hernandez (University of Bridgeport, Connecticut); Girls Water Polo – Alexsa Gimenez (UCLA); Softball - Alessandra Colenzo (University of La Verne); Reyna Perez (Cal Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks).

Here are a few bios and coaches’ comments on the athletes.

Downey Girls Soccer

“The Downey Girls Soccer team had another successful season in both the classroom and the field,” Downey Soccer coach Javier Aguiniga Campos said. “The varsity team ended with a record of 9-9-2 and qualified for the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 playoffs as a No. 2 Seed of the Suburban League, trailing La Mirada and ahead of Warren, Mayfair and Paramount. Along with the field success, the Downey Girls Soccer program will be receiving their sixth consecutive National United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award, an award given to teams whose average GPA falls above a 3.25 nationally.”

Paris Berrospe

“One of the leaders this year for the program was Paris Berrospe,” Aguiniga Campos said. “Paris was a forward and four-year letterman. She led the team with her offensive attack, power and strength in the attacking third of the team. She will go on to compete at the NCAA Division 3 level at Mount Mary University in Wisconsin.”

Paris Berrospe - “As being a first-generation student who will attend a University, I’m beyond blessed and lucky to be able to have had this opportunity come my way. Continuing my athletic and academic career at Mount Mary is super exciting and I can’t wait to start this new journey.”

Downey Boys Soccer

“Downey Boys Soccer finished this season with a season record of 12-9-3 and qualified for the CIF-SS D 2 playoffs as a No. 3 Seed of the Suburban League, behind Warren and Lynwood,” Aguiniga Campos said. “The Boys Soccer team also showed success in the classroom and will be receiving their first National United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award. The Downey Boys Soccer Team has four boys signed and committed to play college soccer at various levels next year.”

Christopher Ferrufino

“Christopher is a first-time varsity letterman but improved dramatically in a year span from being a JV player to being an unchallenged starter and captain of the varsity team,” Aguiniga Campos said. “His size and speed allowed him to help defend and lead the team to nine shutouts in 24 games. Chris will go on to play at Hope International University at the NAIA collegiate level.”

Itzcoatl Sandoval

“Another standout on the defense was Itzcoatl Sandoval,” Aguiniga Campos said. “He was part of the strong defense with Ferrufino. Sandoval was a two-year varsity letterman, and his speed, agility and strength in the defense caught the eye of several colleges. But it was Wisconsin Lutheran College who would grab Itzcoatl for his defensive services in the upcoming college season at the NCAA D 3 Level.”

Itzcoatl Sandoval – “I improved a lot as a player and we grew together as a team while on varsity for those three years. My previous coach (Marrin Mires)…..was big on academics and so was my current coach, (Javier Aguiniga Campos) also academic-minded.

“Funny thing about my visit to college, I showed up in shorts in November. It was 39 degrees with the windchill.

Going to college (in Wisconsin) it’s an opportunity to become independent.”

Eddie Gallardo

“Another team captain, Eddie Gallardo, caught the eyes of NCAA D 2 Cal Poly Pomona, and rendered his attributes as a leader and center midfielder for the upcoming college season.” added Aguiniga. “Eddie is also a two-year varsity letterman, and led the team to 12 victories, and his presence was missed in the playoffs as he was missed at the end of the season due to personal reasons.

Fabrizzio Jaramillo

“He was one of the leading goal scorers and will be at Daemen University out in Buffalo, New York for the upcoming season,” Aguiniga said “Fabrizzio is a two- year letterman, who scored in some of the most important games in the last two years.”

Fabrizzio Jaramillo – “It (college in New York) something different and I get to try something new. I get to play. Coach Javier was a very physically demanding coach.

“As for Downey, I liked being part of the team for the name (Downey).

“I’m excited and getting prepared to go (to college).”

Downey Girls Water Polo

Alexsa Gimenez

Alexsa by the numbers: 4-year starter; 3-time All-CIF; Led team twice to the quarterfinals, once to the semifinals; Over 300 career goals; Club team – Jr. Olympics, 3rd in the nation in top division; 2-time captain; Swam the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle for the swim team.

“(Alexsa) has had a strong career,” Girls Water Polo coach Uriel Villa said. “She is a great leader and great student in the classroom. She came in as a freshman and made a big impact on the team.

“She took on the role of offense and developed in high school. We needed her to be more of an offensive player.

“In her junior year, she became the leader of the team and was always at practice and was the first one in the water. She led by example and led a really young team with three freshmen starters to the quarterfinals.

“In her senior year, she had an offensive explosion with over 100 goals.”

Alexsa Gimenez – “I’m excited and it’s going to be a lot of hard work. I kind of have a family around me.

I felt happy to be there (ceremony). It was a special moment for all of us. It was like a reality check that the next step was coming up.

Being a leader, it kind of just happened. I had an environment that some of the players weren’t like in club. It gave me an environment for me to grow. My team always believed in me and my experience at Downey was with four different classes of girls. I definitely had great teams around me to build on.

Throughout our season, we always had to adjust to our competition. It gave us more drive.

I want to say thank you to my coaches at Downey. A big step for me was coming to Downey and why I was able to grow. We (Uriel and I) were both able to grow from each other. We were both better throughout the years.”

Downey Cheer

“I am so proud of the accomplishments of our senior cheerleaders and cannot wait to see what they continue to achieve at the college level,” Cheer Director Ashley Rauls said. “These athletes have worked so hard over the course of their high school cheerleading career and it is the ultimate joy to see it pay off for them. The growth that Andrea, Jaedyn, Jossie, and Scott have shown over the years is inspirational.”

Andrea Gonzales:

Andrea is a four-year Varsity cheerleader. She has won four D1 CIF titles and three USA Nationals titles. She has signed with Westcliff University and will be on the competitive cheer team – Coach Rauls.

Jaedyn Parker:

Jaedyn is a four-year cheerleader. She has won three D1 CIF titles and two USA Nationals titles. She has signed with Jessup University and will be on the competitive cheer team – Coach Rauls.

Jossie Barnette:

Jossie is a four-year cheerleader. She has won three D1 CIF titles and two USA Nationals titles. Jossie excels in stunting and pauses her skills. She has signed with Hope International University and will be on the STUNT team – Coach Rauls.

Scott Henson:

He has won three D1 CIF titles and two USA Nationals titles. Scott was named a member of the 2023 D1 All-CIF SS Traditional Competitive Cheer Team. He has signed with Navarro College and will be on the competitive cheer team – Coach Rauls.

Downey Football

“Both BJ Carey and Aiden Chiles are two young men that exemplifies what a Downey Viking is,” Football coach Jack Williams said. “We at Downey High School, the football program, and Alumni, are very proud of these two young men. They both have bright futures.”

BJ Carey:

“BJ Carey is a three-year starter for us,” Williams said. “A Jack of All Trades-type of guy that played almost every position on the field. One of our four captains. BJ signed with Weber State and currently the coaches are fighting over what position he is going to play there. Weber definitely got a gem with BJ. Not only a really good football player, but a great young man.”

Aiden Chiles:

“Aiden Chiles is a two-year starter,” Williams said. “Aidan had a coming-out year his senior year, where he went from 3-to 4-star recruit overnight. He was D 4 MVP and League Co-MVP. Aidan entered college in January and participated in spring ball with Oregon State where he has continued to open eyes of everyone watching him play. Not only with his skill but his love of the game.”

Downey softball

“This year the record doesn’t show it, but the vibe was good,” softball coach Ed Garcia said. “To have a season that was that bad, it was actually pretty fun.”

Alessandra Colenzo and Reyna Perez:

“Allie (Colenzo) was like a second coach,” Garcia said. “She was a silent leader. You couldn’t tell when she had a bad game. Whenever (Reyna) had a bad game, she was always picking up her teammates. The girls rallied behind her.

“As seniors, their leadership was good to see.”

Alessandra Colenzo – “I have grown up playing softball, so playing at the collegiate level has always been the ultimate goal. My love for the game has pushed me to work hard day in and day out to be able to play at the most competitive level.

I am so grateful to have this opportunity to see my hard work pay off in college. To be among the handful of a very talented class and to have a college commitment is quite the honor to say the least. We have so many competitive teams with very skilled and hardworking athletes at DHS. I am very proud to say that I am a part of this class, and I am proud of my peers as I know the dedication that is required and that they have put in to be able to continue their careers.

The coaching staff and facilities were what attracted me to the school. Once I had gotten more familiar with the area, I fell in love with it and knew that it would be ULV.”

Reyna Perez – “I worked really hard for it (College) and I’m proud of myself. It’s a relief that I knew that I did it in the end. I really liked the team and super close and a good group to work with. It made it fun.

I had so much fun this year – our energy was great, and I made a lot of friends.

On my visit to Cal Lutheran, I really liked the campus. It’s a small school. I stayed overnight in the dorms. I’ll really enjoy playing against my teammates in college. (Colenzo at La Verne).”