With the rise of e-sports and other technologically-driven competitions like drone soccer, The562 and the Grunion Gazette are adding a “Tech Team of the Year” honor to this year’s All-City Awards, and our first selection couldn’t be easier. The Cabrillo High drone soccer team won a national championship this year, sweeping through the United States Drone Soccer National Championship in May.
The Flying Jags are made up of six students: Giovanni Tuon, Andres Ibarra, Valerie Soto, Stephanie Salgado, Nathan Warren and Jesus Zavala. They’re coached by Cabrillo teachers Kenneth Fisher and Marco Flores, who first heard about the competition format from fellow LBUSD school Sato, and were inspired to get involve and give their Westside students a chance to compete. A year later, those students are national champions..
Drone soccer is a five on five game with five student-controlled drones competing during three-minute sets as the striker tries to fly through the opponents’ goal.
The season isn’t over yet for the champion Jags, who will fly to Hong Kong for an international tournament where they’ll represent the United States.
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