The Student News Site of Foothill Technology High School

The Foothill Dragon Press
The Student News Site of Foothill Technology High School

The Foothill Dragon Press
The Student News Site of Foothill Technology High School

The Foothill Dragon Press
Chance Leandro

Chance Leandro, Reporter

Aka Gumpkin. Second-year sports writer who is chronically late.

All content by Chance Leandro
As the 2023 to 2024 school year comes to a close, various sports at Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) end with successful seasons. From basketball to swimming, many dragons made it to California Scholastic Federation (CIF) where they competed with the best of the best. Follow along for some comprehensive coverage of the conclusion of the 11 sports offered at Foothill Tech.

Sports retrospective: Looking back on the 2023-2024 Foothill Tech sports seasons

Chance Leandro, Nisha Reddy, Ian Toreja, Conor White, and Dane Dodos
June 11, 2024
Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys golf team sent two players, Reagan Wolfe ‘26 and Ben Markov ‘26, to League Finals in hopes of qualifying for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).

Boys golf

Chance Leandro, Reporter
June 11, 2024
Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) places fifth in the Tri-Valley league with a record of 1-5 and an overall record of 5-14-2. Although they didn’t make it to California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoffs, the team still finished the season strong with a 3-1 win against Ventura High School (Ventura).

Boys volleyball

Chance Leandro, Reporter
June 11, 2024
Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) track and field had a phenomenal season this year. The boys had a successful season, taking seven male athletes to Southern Section Finals where the dragons made history, achieving the first CIF Finalist title with a combined point total of 33. Each of the seven boys that made it to CIF Finals earned points for the team and were able to place as one of the top six athletes in division four. The girls also had a successful season, taking one athlete all the way to CIF Finals. The program also had multiple records broken in various track and field events.

Track and field

Chance Leandro, Reporter
June 11, 2024
Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) swim and dive team had a successful season this year. On the girls side of the team, they placed second in the Tri-Valley league and had four athletes move onto California Scholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division three preliminaries. The boys placed third in the Tri-Valley league and had one athlete move onto CIF.

Swim and dive

Chance Leandro, Reporter
June 11, 2024
Tune into the season finale of FDP-TV for news updates as well as a recap on the completion of the spring sports season. Additionally, stay tuned for new A&E and Opinion articles on the website.

FDP-TV: Season 2, Episode 15

Sofia Patiño, Chance Leandro, Julia Brossia, Maggie Lay, and Dane Dodos
June 9, 2024
Tune into this episode of the FDP-TV for upcoming events around Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) as well as spring sports updates. Stayed tuned for new features and A&E articles on the website.

FDP-TV: Season 2, Episode 14

Sofia Patiño, Maggie Lay, Amber Duhs, Julia Brossia, Chance Leandro, and Dane Dodos
May 13, 2024
Tune in to this episode of the FDP-TV for upcoming news coverage and updates on the spring sports season. Additionally, stay tuned for new A&E and features articles on the site.

FDP-TV: Season 2, Episode 13

Sofia Patiño, Amber Duhs, Julia Brossia, Chance Leandro, Dane Dodos, and Maggie Lay
April 21, 2024
On the sunny afternoons of March 19-21, 2024, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) swim team competed in the Ventura County Championship swim meet, one of the biggest meets of the season. Featuring schools from across the county, and held at the Ventura Aquatic Center, the competition was fierce, but the team did well. The girls and boys teams placed sixth and 11th overall, respectively. The team will compete next on March 26, against Villanova Preparatory School, jumping in to the start of their 2024 season.

Foothill Tech dives into the competition at the Ventura County Swim Championships

Chance Leandro, Reporter
March 24, 2024
Tune into this episode of the FDP-TV to learn more about the Wellness Week that took place from March 4 to March 8, 2024, the current status of the spring sports season as well as other various articles to look out for.

[Video] FDP-TV: Season 2, Episode 11

Jenna Ostrom, Nisha Reddy, Ailanie Martinez, Chance Leandro, and Isheeta Pal
March 8, 2024
On Feb. 29, 2024 Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) girls’ beach volleyball team faced off against Oak Hill High School (Oak Hill) and gained a successful win with a final score of 6-0. The Dragons started off their season with an undefeated six game winning streak. Morgan Houston ‘25 (number 2) leaps up, and spikes the ball over the net, contributing to the Dragons’ win.

Girls volleyball crushes Oak Park 6-0 in early season matchup

Chance Leandro, Sports Reporter
March 2, 2024
On Feb. 29, 2024, the Foothill Technology High School’s (Foothill Tech) baseball team, boys volleyball team and girls beach volleyball team faced opponents from St. Bonaventure, Oak Park and Fillmore. Beach volleyball and boys indoor volleyball secured a win, while boys baseball was forced to end in a tie.

Foothill Tech athletes “leap” into competition

Chance Leandro, Conor White, Nisha Reddy, and Julia Geib
March 2, 2024
Nathan Leedy ‘24 (number 12) dribbles after a defensive stop, looking for an open teammate on the other side of the field. Leedy had an strong defensive game for the Dragons breaking the rhythm of the Panther’s offensive on various occasions.

Boys’ soccer season comes to a close after impress run to CIF semifinals

Chance Leandro and Conor White
February 19, 2024
Merric Bayless ‘24 (number 9) puts pressure on Polytechnic’s defense as he runs the ball up the field. Bayless looks for an open teammate to pass the ball to with the hope of keeping the pressure on the Panthers.

Boys’ soccer bests Polytechnic 2-1 to advance to the CIF semi finals

Chance Leandro, Reporter
February 19, 2024
On Feb. 9, 2024, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys’ soccer team played against Laguna Beach High School (Laguna Beach) in the second round of California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section. The Dragons won with a score of 3-1 with goals from Ricky Salinas ‘24 (number 30), Merric Bayless ‘24 (number 9) and Nico Flores ‘24 (number 15).

Boys’ soccer bests Laguna Beach 3-1 in second round of CIF

Chance Leandro, Reporter
February 12, 2024
With anticipation, thousands of Americans gather around their televisions to watch the San Fransisco 49ers match up against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.

Super Bowl LVIII: Who are the Dragons supporting?

Chance Leandro, Reporter
February 11, 2024
As all five winter sports seasons slowly wind down, each team planned a game to honor and commemorate their senior athletes for their hard work and dedication to the program. Each Senior Night was unique but shared the common thread of celebration. Follow along for some comprehensive coverage of the conclusion of the boys’ and girls’ soccer and basketball seasons, along with girls water polo.

Winter sports Senior Night retrospective

Chance Leandro, Conor White, Dane Dodos, and Ian Toreja
February 5, 2024
On Feb. 2, 2024, Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) faced Grace Brethren High School (Grace Brethren) in a highly anticipated game celebrating the nine seniors on the team. Winning with a forfeit in the last 15 minutes from Grace Brethren, the Dragons scored 11 goals. Matheus Gamble 24 (number 10), the leading scorer of the game, had four goals. Merric Bayless 24 (number 9) scored three goals. Ricky Salinas ‘24 (number 30), Adam Al Warhani 24 (number 1), Nico Flores 24 (number 15) and Amar Atiah 26 (number 20) each scored one goal.

Boys’ soccer forces Grace Brethren into forfeit on Senior Night

Chance Leandro, Reporter
February 4, 2024

[Video] Benchwarmers: Episode 3 (featuring boys’ basketball)

Lauren Kaller and Claire Hadley
February 1, 2024
On the freezing evening of Jan. 11, 2024, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) girls soccer team hosted St. Bonaventure High School (Bonnie). In this anticipated game, Eva Gonvalves 25 (number 15) glances at the sideline and looks at her coach, Patricia (Patty) Gomez, who gives her suggestions on how to give her team an advantage. Goncalves 25 made some beautiful passes forcing the defense to stumble and give her team a 2-0 lead. Goncalves 25 is one of the most effective facilitators on the field and has also been called upon to be a leader for this years team. Later in this game, Foothill Tech will come out victorious over their league opponent, Bonnie.

Girls’ soccer emerges triumphant with 2-0 against St. Bonaventure

Chance Leandro, Reporter
January 15, 2024
On the brisk night of Dec. 11, 2023, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) girls soccer team sits together to receive feedback on how they played from one of their coaches, Patty Gomez, winning against Hueneme High School (Hueneme), finishing 4-0.

Girls’ soccer triumphs over Hueneme 4-0

Chance Leandro, Reporter
December 13, 2023
On the night of Dec. 5, 2023, Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) fought through a strenuous loss against nearby rival St. Bonaventure. Pictured above is Phillip Blessum ‘25 (number 33) who attempted to gain control of the ball at the start of the game.

Boys’ basketball falls to St. Bonaventure 84 to 39

Chance Leandro, Reporter
December 8, 2023
Students are making the final stretch as winter break approaches. Tune into this episode of the FDP-TV to learn about upcoming spirit weeks, the winter sports season and articles to keep an eye out for!

FDP-TV: Season 2, Episode 7

Jenna Ostrom, Nisha Reddy, Ailanie Martinez, Chance Leandro, Ian Toreja, and Camilla Lewis
December 8, 2023
On the cold evening of Nov. 30, 2023, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) girls soccer team stood together to receive a pep talk from their coaches, before they swept the Nordhoff High School (Nordhoff) girls soccer team in a final score of 6-0.

Girls’ soccer crushes Nordhoff in the first match of the season

Chance Leandro, Reporter
December 3, 2023
Merric Bayless ’24 receives Athlete of the Week for his remarkable 2023 sports season, where he has begun to display his exceptional skills as one of the top boys soccer players on campus. The Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) community appreciates all his hard work in representing the school.

Athlete of the Week: Merric Bayless

Chance Leandro, Reporter
December 2, 2023
Mylan Walker 24, jersey number 8, sprints down the field and past the Buena line of defense to score a touchdown. The crowd roars as Ventura scores, and the team celebrates the points.

Buena sacked by Ventura 35-7 in rivalry game

Conor White and Chance Leandro
October 14, 2023
Vivian Ryan 25 and Aditi Shanbhag 25 prepare for their opponents to serve the ball to them. Ryan and Shanbhag slammed their competition in a victorious 3-0 win.

Girls’ tennis triumphs over Providence 11-7

Chance Leandro, Reporter
October 4, 2023
On Sept. 21, 2023, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) Girls Volleyball took a devastating loss of 3-1 in a league game against Bishop Diego High School. Students, Addi Fallon 25, Zac Crist 24 and Petra Falcocchia 24, show their support with colorful face paint. Many students also dressed to the theme of the game, which was cowboys and cowgirls.

Girls’ volleyball beat by Bishop Diego 1-3 in hard fought game

Chance Leandro, Reporter
September 27, 2023
Isabella De La Rosa 24 (number 3) and Charlis Swezy 27 (number 1) block from the net, while Malia Gray 24 (number 9) and Morgan Houston 25 (number 2) stay behind to cover any unexpected plays from the other team.

Girls’ volleyball spiked on by St. Bonaventure

Chance Leandro and Conor White
September 15, 2023
The Dragon girls’ varsity volleyball players gather together to take a group photo after earning another win with an ending score of 15-13 in game five, the tie-breaking game.

Girls volleyball triumphs over Laguna Blanca in first league game

Chance Leandro, Reporter
September 6, 2023
The diverse array of sports at Foothill Technology High School highlights the spectacular talents of the participating students.

Sports retrospective: Celebrating Foothill Tech’s athletics

Nisha Reddy, Julia Geib, Chance Leandro, Sam Noah, Jonah Billings, and Theo Kayser
June 18, 2023
Merric Bayless 24 hits a jump overlooking the sunset at a local spot called the V. Many mountain bikers watch him while socializing with each other, providing a friendly atmosphere in the mountain biking community.

The underground sport of mountain biking

Chance Leandro, Reporter
June 17, 2023
Lorraine Corona ‘23 swam the breaststroke part of the Girls 200 yard Medley Relay, finishing her 50 meters with a time of 37.02 seconds.

Swim and dive

Chance Leandro, Reporter
June 17, 2023
Foothill Technology High School’s boys’ varsity waterpolo team fights against the challenging Buena offense. Although they played hard, Buena crushed them with a final score of 20-4.

Boys’ water polo

Chance Leandro, Reporter
June 14, 2023
On the night of April 12, 2023, the Dragons honored their senior players while hosting the Laguna Blanca School. Hoping to secure a win on Senior Night and end their league losing streak, the Dragons played hard, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to beat the Laguna Blanca Owls.

Boys’ volleyball

Chance Leandro, Reporter
June 14, 2023
On the night of April 12, 2023, the Dragons honored their senior players while hosting the Laguna Blanca School. Hoping to secure a win on Senior Night and end their league losing streak, the Dragons played hard, but ultimately it wasnt enough to beat the Laguna Blanca Owls. In the photo above, Sean Scampone 23 (number 7) reaches in the air getting ready to tip the ball over the two Laguna Blanca blockers. Behind Scampone, Owen Houston 23 (number 8) is ready to cover in case the Owls send the ball back over.

Boys’ volleyball spiked on by Laguna Blanca

Chance Leandro, Reporter
May 16, 2023
With the doors for the AP tests coming to a close, the students of Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) find themselves at ease as the weight of the tests are lifted off their shoulders. Students are encouraged to take a break and enjoy some fresh air as a superbloom washes over Ventura, Calif.

[Video] FDP-TV: Episode 15

Jenna Ostrom, Videographer
May 12, 2023
On the evening of April 28, 2023, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) swim team competed in league finals in a thrilling night resulting in personal records for many of the athletes. The girls junior varsity (JV), boys JV and girls varsity team all took first in league with the boys varsity team placing second in league. Emily Vasquez 24 darts through the water achieving a time of 1:24:92 in the girls 100 Yard Butterfly varsity race.

The Dragons dive into the competition at the TCAA league finals

Chance Leandro, Reporter
May 7, 2023
Pascal Hayward ‘23 serves to the opponents while his double partner stands ready for the return shot. They are down in the set and need this serve to come back.

Boys’ tennis crushed by Cate in the third match of the season

Chance Leandro, Reporter
April 14, 2023
Moments after the whistle was blown, Mikaela Clabaugh 25 dives into an amazing start. Clabaugh, going up against other schools from Ventura County, attempts to have the fastest time out of all.

Foothill Tech impresses at Ventura County Swim Championships

Chance Leandro, Reporter
March 26, 2023
Tyler Jorden 23 (number 10) serves the ball to St. Bonaventure. He played extremely energetically and contributed a large amount of points to the final score. The Dragons were slain in the fifth set, 15-10. This loss drops them down to second place in the Tri-Valley League.

Foothill Tech boys’ volleyball splits early season matchups with Dunn, St. Bonaventure

Nisha Reddy and Chance Leandro
March 20, 2023
Number 18 on the Dragons pushes the ball forward past defenders. With less than five minutes left in the half, the Dragons were still fighting hard.

Girls’ soccer battles in a 0-2 loss to knock them out of CIF playoffs

Chance Leandro and Theo Kayser
February 21, 2023
On the night of Jan. 31, 2023, celebrating the Dragon seniors, the girls basketball faced off against Santa Clara High School. In the photo, Esmi Casarez 23 and Olivia Huynh 23 gather in the middle of the court high-fiving each other to get themselves pumped up before the game.

Girls’ basketball

Sam Noah and Chance Leandro
February 8, 2023
On the bright yet cloudy day of Jan. 7, 2023, Foothill Tech boys’ soccer competes in a fierce game against Cate High School. Connor Bursek ‘25 (number 18) skillfully directs the ball away from opposing players who sprint to keep up, moving the ball up the field and toward the goal.

Boys’ soccer bested 0-2 by Cate in a defensive matchup

Chance Leandro, Reporter
January 15, 2023
Nick Drucker 25 makes a move to get past a defender. After getting past the first defender, he makes a move towards the basket, making a play for the Dragons.

Second half offensive run not enough for Foothill Tech to secure win against St. Bonaventure

Theo Kayser and Chance Leandro
December 11, 2022
Owen Houston 23 (number 0) reaches towards the basket and releases the ball for a wide-open layup, hoping to score some much-needed points for the Dragons in the fourth quarter. Fans in the audience cheer loudly as the ball inches toward the basket.

Brutal fourth quarter beatdown costs boys’ basketball the win against Channel Islands

Theo Kayser and Chance Leandro
November 26, 2022
On the windy day of Nov. 2, 2022 girls’ tennis faced off against Simi Valley High School at Ventura College in their first round of CIF playoffs. Julia Geib ‘25 and Lola Tennison ‘24 are introduced to the players in their first match of the day, high-fiving them with tennis rackets and wishing them luck in the game to come. Players from both teams, wrapped in jackets to stay warm, show their support by clapping and cheering on their teammates.

Girls’ tennis CIF hopes thwarted by Santiago High School in second round

Sam Noah and Chance Leandro
November 10, 2022
Students jump up and down as the beat drops and the sparklers go off.

[Photo] Foothill Tech gets festive at the “All Hallows Eve” dance

Maggie Lay, Reporter
October 16, 2022
Kiera Branson ’24 serves the ball over the net, aiming to score an easy point.

Girls’ tennis continues hot streak with win over Thacher

Theo Kayser and Chance Leandro
October 10, 2022
Julia Geib 25 prepares to serve as the Dragons attempt to make a comeback.

Recap: Girls’ tennis triumphs 10-8 over rival Cate

Chance Leandro, Reporter
September 29, 2022
Lucca Postma 25 passes the ball to Ryder Hart 23 in an effort to set up a successful offensive play.

Recap: Boys’ water polo suffers a narrow 12-10 loss to Malibu

Chance Leandro, Reporter
September 29, 2022
Frances English 24 throws the ball in the air preparing to serve.

Girls’ tennis takes preseason loss in stride

Chance Leandro, Reporter
September 3, 2022
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Chance Leandro