Striving in academics is what Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) is known for. Dragons have opportunities to enroll in pathways such as Bioscience and D-Tech as well as programs like Journalism and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID). These are all ways for students at Foothill Tech to advance their academic journey. Established in 2000, Foothill Tech has not only advanced in academic pathways, but has allowed their students to advance in their athletic careers.
Until 2013, if students desired to play a sport, they had to compete at their boundary high school, while still attending Foothill Tech. When the decision was made to create an athletic program for Foothill Tech, there were limited athletics offered. Some notable sports were missing such as; a football team, wrestling team and a cheerleading program, mainly due to a lack of facilities. With the introduction of any new program, it takes time to create the culture of their athletics and build an identity.
With Foothill Tech’s limited campus space, they do not have any of their own sports facilities, and as such, outsource for games and practices. Both soccer teams use the Ventura College stadium for practices and games, along with the use of Ventura High School (Ventura) or Buena High School’s (Buena) fields if need be. Tennis, basketball, softball and track all utilize Ventura College as their homes as well. Cabrillo Middle School (Cabrillo) is used as the Dragon’s home court for both the volleyball team, while both golf teams play and practice at the Olivas Links golf course. The Dragons baseball team plays and practices at the Data Middle School baseball fields. Foothill Tech’s water polo and swim teams both play at the Ventura Aquatic Center, and cross country races at Arroyo Verde Park and Camino Real Park as their home turf. This can be a struggle for some athletes and coaches, having to utilize different places to practice and compete.
“You can also look at it from the standpoint that the facilities that we do participate in are top notch and college level facilities. Our student athletes are getting an experience … seeing what a college gym looks like or seeing what a college softball field should look like,” Athletic Director, Jamaal Brown mentioned when asked what disadvantages or advantages comes with being a Dragon and an athlete.
Despite these drawbacks, various sports teams have been very successful in highlighting who the Dragons are as athletes, specifically the cross country team. They have won numerous California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) championships, as well as the boys team winning the State Championship in 2016 and 2019 and placing third on two other occasions. The boys are not the only ones to have made a mark on Foothill Tech athletics, as the girls also won the State Championship in 2016 and 2017 as well as taking second in 2018.
Despite these accomplishments, cross country is not the only highlight of the Dragons’ athletic program. For example, boys soccer team played to Semi-Finals of CIF playoffs, as well as the boys basketball team who made it to CIF Quarter-Finals in 2024. These teams represent how competitive Dragon athletics are despite the relatively short time they have been established.
From the start of the Foothill Tech’s athletic programs, they have made so much growth that started with ambitious student athletes. “[Athletes] realizing their playing for something bigger than them just playing an individual sport or being involved individually in a sport,” was said by Brown to be a key component in Foothill Tech’s success. With overwhelming support from administration, staff, athletic directors, vice principals and principals creating goals for the athletics at Foothill, the community that surrounds it is phenomenal. “It takes a community … we are pretty excited and pretty proud of the sports program we have here at Foothill,” Brown said.
Looking into the future, athletic programs look bright. The Dragons have built an amazing foundation for their sports programs, “We actually had to work and make it happen, it just wasn’t handed to us,” Brown stated.
Constantly asked is the question, if Foothill Tech will ever implement a football, wrestling or cheer team, and, although this contradicts with facility availability or space, there is always a possibility. “It would have to be a pretty big effort and it would have to be a total community thing,” Brown stated with optimism about what the future holds for the Foothill Tech.
All Dragons hope to someday obtain their own home facilities as to give student athletes the best experience possible. This does seem to be a stretch to some, but already, they have obtained extraordinary opportunities with the use of outside facilities. With either using external facilities or building their own, the foundation of the Dragons athletics is solid and has proved to be flourishing despite the many barriers in place.
