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Lakewood High confirmed a pair of coaching hires last week as they’re getting two up-and-coming coaching talents on board, including one Lancers legacy. Assistant principal over athletics Lloyd Wilson said the school is hiring Adam Wadley as its boys’ volleyball coach, and Fernando Viramontes to coach its girls’ lacrosse team.
Wadley takes over the boys’ volleyball program after 10 years as an assistant coach with the Lakewood girls’ volleyball team, currently ranked No. 4 in Division 1. He also was an assistant coach with the Lancers’ beach volleyball team last year in its inaugural season.
“I’m excited for my first head coaching opportunity,” said Wadley. “It’s going to be different being back on the boys’ side after so many years coaching with the girls’ team but I’m looking forward to it.”
Wadley is a Wilson alum who played volleyball there and at LBCC, and is the son of longtime Lakewood girls’ volleyball coach Mike Wadley, who coached the school’s only state championship team in 2007.
Mike stressed that Adam wasn’t given any breaks in the hiring process just because his father is a Lakewood institution.
“He’s a much better coach than I was when I was 27,” said Mike. “I didn’t have his patience, he got his mom’s patience, and he’s really knowledgeable about the sport. I told everyone, I don’t want him to be ‘Mike Wadley’s son,’ I want to be ‘Adam Wadley’s dad.’”
Adam has already assembled a built-out coaching staff which the Lancers haven’t had in a few years, and enrollment in the program has doubled to almost 50 players, giving them an immediate talent boost. He said that he’s currently wrapping up his teaching credential and is hoping to get on campus at Lakewood to make a career of it.
“I never saw myself being in an office typing away, I always knew I’d do something in athletics and being around all these adults that are teachers like my mom and my dad obviously showed me that as a career path,” he said. “And my coach at Wilson, Susan Pescar, she was a great teacher and a big influence on me. So being able to help out the current students and give back is something I’m really excited about.”
Wadley wasn’t the only coaching hire for the Lancers recently, as they also announced that assistant football coach Fernando Viramontes will be the school’s new girls’ lacrosse coach.
“Coach Fern is a sports fanatic and one of our key cogs for the football program,” said Mike Wadley of the hire. “We’re excited to see that spill over into our girls’ lacrosse program and have it grow into one of the best in the area.”
