On Dec. 10, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys’ basketball team stepped onto the court at Saint Bonaventure High School (Bonnie) for a highly anticipated cross-town rivalry game. The matchup featured notable performances from athletes on both sides of the court, but the Dragons proved to have the competitive edge and took the win, 49–46.

In spite of Foothill Tech’s underdog status, marked with an unbroken string of losses to Bonnie over program history, the team still entered the court with a reinvigorated and clear mindset.

Erik Hernandez ‘26 attested to his mindset during the game, “I was pretty locked in from the beginning … right away I knew we were underdogs. I just knew I had to be kinda relentless and almost scrappy, because I know they [Bonnie] can definitely get a little scrappy too.”

While the game was relatively low scoring, most of the momentum was dictated on the defensive end. Both teams applied heavy pressure to drive in the shots from beyond the arc to stay in control.

Bonnie gained early control in the first quarter and took several of the game’s opening shots. Foothill Tech responded with strong offensive plays, highlighted by a steal from Zaiden Archuleta ‘26 that led to a highly contested layup by Nick Turner ’26, to put the Dragons ahead 11–7.

With constant turnovers and fouls, the momentum of the match shifted heavily between the Dragons and Seraphs as they moved into the second quarter of play. This shift was apparent as Foothill Tech’s roster capitalized on gaps in Bonnie’s defense, Dragon athletes emphasized by a series of layups from Ashton Brown ‘26 that furthered the Dragon’s lead coming out of the half, 25-15.

The third quarter proved challenging for Foothill Tech as Bonnie began taking more offensive risks from beyond the arc in an effort to cut into the Dragons’ consistent lead, putting up the highest scoring quarter of the game at 17 points. 

However, the Dragons still fought hard through the quarter with some stand-out shots coming from Brody Baker ‘26, paired with strong on-court communication spearheaded by Brown and Turner. Foothill still maintained its lead going into the final quarter at 39-32.

Entering the fourth quarter, both teams hoped to make a final push to close out the game. With Bonnie down seven at the start of the quarter, they understood the need to secure another high-scoring run if they still wanted a chance for the win. While they went on to put up 14 points to outpace the Dragons, it wasn’t enough to shrink Foothill Tech’s lead, with the game concluding 49-46.

“I want to shout out the whole bench and just the amount of energy they had. I understand that it’s hard not to play, but like just being there and being supportive of the people who are in the game…It means a lot to everyone,” said Turner.

The Dragon’s next game is set for Dec.13, against Buena High School (Buena) on the Bulldogs’ homecourt.