By STEFAN MODRICH, Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — Santa Rosa’s Mike Bermea became one of the most recognizable sub-5A athletes in the Rio Grande Valley because of his relentless work ethic.
Bermea, a safety and wide receiver on the gridiron for the Warriors, is a middle infielder on the diamond. He also ran track and played basketball at Santa Rosa.
“He covered a lot of ground,” Santa Rosa defensive coordinator Pablo De Los Santos said. “He’s a very smart football player. He was also a stud at receiver. With him playing both ways, he understood the routes, how to protect a route, and I think he had maybe seven or eight interceptions.”
Bermea will study criminal justice at Graceland University, a small private Christian university located 80 miles south of Des Moines, Iowa. Four of his Warriors teammates — Ethan De La Garza, Ryan Garza, Adam Cavazos and Jose Ruiz — also have chosen the same academic path, and so they will expect to spend plenty of time together both on the field and in the classroom.
The Yellowjackets compete in the NAIA’s Heart of America Conference.
“We all talked about how it would be better for us to go together,” Bermea said. “It’s going to be way different than here, going all the way to Iowa. … We’ll try to get through it together. We thought that was the best option for everybody.”
Bermea said De Los Santos was another extremely important influence for him in making his college decision.
As for his offseason plans, Bermea said he will devote equal time to baseball and football.
“I’m just trying to get back in shape right now,” Bermea said. “I’m usually working for both sports. I’ll run some routes, and then after that we’ll throw a baseball and get some hitting practice in.”
Warriors baseball coach Tony Leal noted that because of Bermea’s successful basketball and track exploits, he was usually only available to play for the stretch run of the District 32-3A slate. But with the opportunity to focus solely on one sport in the spring, Leal said Bermea has potential to have a breakout year with the Yellowjackets.
“He’s a pretty good athlete,” Leal said. “He’s very talented. His potential is high, so he’s got a lot of upside. He’s a very athletic kid. I saw him make some plays defensively that were unbelievable.”
Bermea racked up all-district accolades in multiple sports during his career at Santa Rosa and said he was grateful for the time he spent playing for the Warriors.
“It’s been a blessing, honestly,” Bermea said. “It’s been a hell of a ride here at Santa Rosa. Especially with these guys, because we grew up together playing every sport. We know what we are capable of, we already have that bond and we know what we can do together. If we can do that up there, too, we can help Graceland out a little bit.”