On the spring afternoon of April 3, 2025, the scenic views of Ventura’s mountainsides glistened as the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys golf team headed for their home course of Olivas Links (Olivas) where they would putt their skills to the test in hopes of defeating rivaling team, Villanova High School (Villanova). They left the green with a win adding to their standing in the league with a 209-241 victory.
The top five scoring athletes all felt the pressure of the match, with Foothill Tech’s leading scorer Ben Markov ‘27 having swung an impressive 39 going only three over par for the course.
Trailing closely behind would be Sebastian Huovinen ‘27 just one point off his teammate hitting a 40 for the course coming just four strokes shy of par. This strong performance would be key in solidifying the Dragons’ win over Villanova.
Both kept the fact that it was still anyone’s game in mind, and midway through the match, the tension between them was evident to all of the spectators along the course. As each stroke carried the weight of momentum, the sound of each swing resonated with quiet intensity.
Reagan Wolfe ‘27, along with James Markov ‘25, both delivered strong performances on the putting green; Wolfe scoring a 41 and James Markov followed closely with a 43, just five and seven strokes over the course par of 36, respectively.
The final dragon to score for Foothill Tech, Benjamin Venti ‘26, drove home with a score of 46 to close the book on Villanova and the league match having created an over 30 point gap over the Wildcats.
Venti reflected on the atmosphere of the match and the significance of the team’s record-breaking performance at Olivas Links, saying, “The atmosphere was chill … I was only one shot away from qualifying for league finals. Our whole team shot the best score in our school history, so we did great.”
The Dragons’ next match came on April 8, 2025, against Bishop Garcia Diego High School (Bishop Diego) at the Santa Barbara Municipal Golf Course (Santa Barbara Municipal). Contrary to the result against Villanova, Foothill Tech was bested by Bishop Diego, 202-227.
James Markov shot the lowest score with 42; just six over par. Hansen Chen ‘27 and Huovinen followed closely behind scores of 43 and 44, respectively. Wolfe and Ben Markov capped off the Dragons’ scores with scores of 51 and 46.
Foothill Tech looked to carry their momentum they built against Villanova into their match against Bishop Diego. Despite this, Foothill Tech stepped into unfamiliar territory on the Santa Barbara Municipal course and were no match against the ironclad skill of Bishop Diego.
The Dragons look to win their next match against Grace High School (Grace) which will take place on April 17, 2025, at the par 34 Los Robles Greens Golf Course.
