TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — A sophomore high school student suddenly passed away after finishing a 5K run at a district track meet in Tarrant County last week.
Angel Hernandez ran cross country for the Chisholm Trail High School track team and had just hit his best time ever as his team competed in the district 3-6A meet at The Buff in Haltom City on Friday, Oct. 13. Witnesses remember seeing Hernandez collapse to the ground right after he crossed the finish line. Many of his friends were concerned as they helped him over to a water station, where he collapsed again.
Hernandez was rushed to Medical City Alliance and passed away about an hour later.
"He was the kind of student-athlete you wanted," said Brent Brevard, the retired Chisholm Trail High School track coach, who oversaw Hernandez's efforts on the team last year. "He worked hard and cared about the teammates. But then he also acted right in school and took care of his grades."
Brevard was deeply saddened after learning about Hernandez's untimely death.
“It was tragic, it was terrible news," Brevard said. "He’s such a great kid, a likable kid, a good student, and it was awful news."
At his funeral on Friday, Oct. 20, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD athletic director Brent Barker said Hernandez's family was presented with the teen’s varsity letter jacket meant to honor his hard work and dedication to the school.
“A lot of people attended [the funeral], a lot of his teammates made it, and they encouraged everyone to wear [the school color] purple,” said Brevard.
At the Chisholm Trail High School homecoming game hosted later that night, a moment of silence was held in Hernandez's honor.
Hernandez was also a dedicated student at the Texas School of Karate, located nearby in Blue Mound. Following Hernandez's death, the training center closed its doors for the week and, in a Facebook post, urged others to keep the Hernandez family in their prayers.
"Every one of us cried, every one of us has comforted each other," said Hernandez karate coach, Ashley Wood. "It’s really hard. We'll never get over it. We’ll never forget him. He’s going to be missed here, but he’s going to be loved always."
Wood described Hernandez as living up to his Angel name, and wasn't surprised to learn that his high school honored him with a moment of silence.
"He made you love him with his personality," she said. "He had an infectious smile. The moment of silence, it helps us know that he was loved by everyone."
All week long, Wood has been comforting Hernandez's karate school classmates, who are also grieving his death. The group has started to wear T-shirts with the hashtag "#LiveLikeAngel" printed on them in hopes of carrying on Hernandez's memory and legacy.
Friends and loved ones still have no idea what caused the high school sophomore to collapse after running one of his best races in the district cross country meet.
The teen’s cause of death is under investigation by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner.
Wood said Hernandez showed no signs of illness before the incident where he suddenly collapsed.
Though saddened by her student's passing, she said she is thankful for all of the people who have been touched by Hernandez's story and who've donated to the GoFundMe page she set up to help the Hernandez family cover the costs of the funeral.
"It's comforting to know that his reach went even far beyond what we knew, even outside of martial arts and even outside of him running cross country," Wood said. "It goes far beyond that. Everybody is feeling the effects of Angel. Angel is that kid. He touched everyone he came in contact with. You couldn't help but love him."