Brandon Rowley – Staff Writer & Mars Schmidt – Sports Editor
With the start of summer within sight, we can now look back on the final sports season of the year: spring. The spring sports season was filled with much success for Foothill.
Softball
The Lady Knights Softball team went 22-10 with a record of 6-3 in the North Hills League, earning a League championship and a spot in the CIF playoffs. The Lady Knights, led by senior captain Ally Storey, featured senior Hannah Vargas and junior Darian Rycroft who led the team in most offensive categories, while junior Lauren Mendez had 117 strikeouts with 21 wins for the year. In the first three rounds of CIF, the Knights defeated Arroyo 7-5, blew out Highland 12-1, and shutout Schurr 4-0 to take them to the semifinals. In the semifinals the Knights jousted over Santa Fe 4-0, with help from Rycroft’s three RBIs. The Knights will take on Fullerton High School for the CIF title this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in Bill Barber Park in Irvine. Tickets can be purchased online through GOFan.
Baseball
The Knights baseball team had a rollercoaster year, which led to a berth in the CIF Division 1 playoffs highlighted with some amazing wins. In March the Knights took on our cross-town “rival” Tustin Tillers, dismantling them 9-0 on the big stage of Angel Stadium, and beating them for the second time in three years. The Knights would also go on to beat league opponents Villa Park, El Modena, and El Dorado. Stand-out players for the Knights were sophomore Ezekiel Vargas for defensive player of the year, junior Tyler Hawkins for offensive player of the year and senior Andrew Parker, who earned pitcher of the year and Knight of the year for baseball
Boys Volleyball
The boys volleyball team had a great regular season with a 12-5 record and a 3-2 record in the North Hills league. Led by coach Chris Lee, the Knights made it to their fourth straight CIF playoff tournament, going to the Division 2 Bracket. Three players for the Knights won All-League certification this year: senior Agustus Huynh, senior Hudson Wooton, and senior Christian Apodaca. Wooton would go on to win the team’s MVP award. The Knights unfortunately struggled in the playoffs, losing 3-1 against Aliso Niguel.
Swim
The Foothill varsity swim teams had an outstanding season, winning all but one of their meets, leading them to a league title. Several people made it into CIF for both individual and relays, including seniors Chloe Hickman, Riley Clanson, Julia Reid, Riley Stringham, Nick Eagan, and Rober Boles.
Boys Tennis
The regular season for the Foothill boys tennis team was quite a challenge for them, as they lost some of their matches to begin the year, but managed to secure some steady wins to stay in playoff contention. After the regular season they were placed into CIF as a wildcard team, and were able to win their first round matchup.
Track and Field
The track team got off to a rough start, with the rainy weather delaying practices and meets, so by the time the meets began, everyone was a little rusty. But, after losing a few early matches, they were able to regain their steam throughout the season. Many students made it into CIF, such as senior Sarah Bonello in the 100 and 200-meter dash, and senior Liberty Miller, for the mile