Moorpark High School wins the state Academic Decathlon
Larry Jones, Academic Decathlon coach for Moorpark High School, talks with his team before winners are announced. The team studied until 8 or 9 p.m. after school each day and for 10 hours on Saturdays. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
Moorparks Michael Fantauzzo and Kris Sankaran await the announcement of individual awards. Sankaran later won gold medals in five of the 10 individual categories and silver or bronze in three others. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
Sarah Thiele clasps hands with her Moorpark teammates Marlena Sampson, left, and Kris Sankaran, anticipating the win. The top three schools were announced in reverse order, so Moorparks victory was all but certain when its rival, El Camino, was announced as the silver medal winner. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
Kris Sankaran walks to the stage to accept one of his many individual awards. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
Decathlon teams from 60 high schools fill Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento for the awards ceremony. Four L.A. Unified schools El Camino, North Hollywood, Palisades Charter and Marshall finished in the top 10. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
Sol Moon flops on the main stage, unwinding after his team’s victory. Moorpark will compete in the national finals next month in Memphis, Tenn. (Robert Durell / For The Times)
