The FHS school year kicked off with a strong fall sports season, with hundreds of FHS athletes coming out to participate in the seven fall sports offered: girls cross country, field hockey, tennis, volleyball and water polo, and boys cross country, football and water polo.
FHS girls varsity water polo finished the season in seventh place of the El Camino Division, but they did not go down without a fight. They had multiple close games; a couple even going into overtime, and were able to pull out a few wins against Santa Clara girls varsity water polo, a team that finished in fifth place of the El Camino League. As for FHS boys water polo, varsity had a solid season, winning five out of their 11 games. JV had put on quite a performance as well, winning 13 out of 14 games, which is quite a feat.
Turning to FHS girls field hockey — a sport that has been rising in popularity over the years — the team took a new turn, as the leagues were mixed up. Generally lower-ranked teams were placed with higher ones, forming two equal brackets, instead of having a higher and lower league. Even with the difficulty of playing higher-level field hockey teams like Saint Francis and Saint Ignatius College Preparatory, both varsity and JV stayed strong and determined, with girls varsity field hockey placing sixth overall in the De Anza League.
“I think we’ve come a long way, because we’ve all learned something new, we [even] had freshmen on the team, and it was really enjoyable,” FHS sophomore and varsity field hockey player Arshpreet Ruprah said.
FHS girls volleyball also did fairly well, with varsity, despite getting seventh in the El Camino League, winning at least one set in almost 75% of their matches. They were able to win sets against some of their stronger opponents, such as Santa Clara girls varsity volleyball, who finished at the respectable spot of third place in the El Camino League. They were also able to pull out some close victories against teams such as Willow Glen High School, whom they beat three to two, and Presentation High School, whom they beat two to one, showing how even under the pressure of a close game, they were still able to stay strong and deliver.
“I enjoyed [this season] a lot,” FHS sophomore and varsity volleyball player Ella Ahn said. “I really like our team dynamic and everyone.”
Taking on the course; cross country had some very strong runners, including, but not limited to, senior Matthew Gray, junior Roger Paulson, rookie and freshman allstar Tiberius Lee and sophomore Cecilia Austin. The cross country team was able to secure many medals, and also achieved their goal of executing a pack running strategy, which is when people pair up and race together in a group, according to FHS cross country, track and field and wellness space support specialist Alejandra Flores.
“[Our cross country] weekend meets are […] fun meets, they’re opportunities for people to get medals, so we’ve seen a lot of our boys and girls either get medals or place really high or have really big PRs or they [also] get to practice a racing strategy as a team and see the outcome of [the stragey] be successful is really exciting to see and have them experience,” Flores said.
The girls tennis team, while maybe not achieving all of their goals, worked hard this season and stayed positive, according to senior and varsity girls tennis player Vanshika Vasanth. Vasanth could not choose a single highlight of the season, expressing how she has enjoyed all of her time with the team.
“I think so far this season, I feel like everyone’s working super hard, on and off the courts, and I see everyone showing up to practice, ready to improve,” Vasanth said. “So I think our attitude has just been something [good].”
Boys football results may not have been as high as they had hoped, but they still did fairly well, with varsity boys football standing fifth in the El Camino League, as of Oct. 29, 2025. They had some close games, such as the match against Westmont High School, where the team, despite losing, kept everybody on their toes the entire game and were able to keep the game close, only losing by nine points. Considering the fact that Westmont High School is currently third in the Santa Teresa Valley Division, as of Oct. 29, 2025, this is quite an accomplishment. Throughout the season, the spirits of the team always remained high, with lots of support from the student section, cheer, marching band, band and the dance team.
Overall, this fall season was filled with hard work, resilience, positivity and fun. With the winter season coming up, make sure to stay posted when it comes to tryouts and conditioning, if you are interested in any of the sports: girls basketball, competitive cheer, girls soccer, wrestling, boys basketball and boys soccer.
