Standing on the sidewalk in front of Cupertino High School on the morning of Oct. 19 were five protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), a group that has gained public scrutiny for their picketing at soldiers’ funerals, an act deemed inappropriate by many Americans.

Opposite to them stood 50 counter-protesters. One called out through a megaphone, “If you hate America so much, then why don’t you go to Iraq?” The crowd cheered in support of his statement.

The girls varsity field hockey team started their pre-season with a 2-2 tie against Cupertino on Thursday September 1. Both of Saratoga’s goals were scored in the second half, while Cupertino scored one goal in each half.

After a slow 1-7 start, the boys' basketball team finished the non-league season strong, posting a 3-1 record over the winter break.

This four-game surge came at a good time for the Falcons, who rolled into their first league game versus Cupertino with some positive momentum.

Saratoga's winning ways continued against the Cupertino Pioneers, as senior shooting guard Daniel Chou exploded for a career-high 27 points on six three-pointers while shooting an astounding 71 percent from the field.

The month of October brought mixed results for boys' water polo players, who started with a disappointing 8-7 loss to Harker on Oct. 1. However, the team rallied to defeat Cupertino 12-9 on Oct. 1.

"The Cupertino game really motivated us because we had lost to them in a tournament so it was big to beat them in league play," said junior set defense, Tim Rollinson.

Strong plays and good goals came from senior co-captains Kevin Rollinson and John Chen.