El Estoque Online

09/26/2025

Varsity Girls Flag Football won 47-0 in their Wednesday, Sept. 17 game against Lynbrook High School. The team maintained a significant lead over LHS throughout all four quarters of the game.

The match took place at Lynbrook High School while MVHS’s upper field remains closed for construction.

The team kept up a strong offense and defense against the LHS, scoring forty or more points every quarter.

Rachel Bergendahl, junior, wide receiver and safety on the team, said she was proud of how the whole team was able to contribute to the win.

“Other games can be a little bit more competitive,” Bergendahl said. “So this game we were able to work on new things and, like, focus on the fundamentals and be able to include everyone in the win.”

Bergendahl celebrated plays by her teammates, applauding the impressive saves and touchdowns they made. She also highlighted how their second-string quarterback was able to play in the game, having a chance to participate and improve.

“It’s just a good reminder that this is a team game, it’s not an individual game,” Bergendahl said. “So our whole team can contribute to all of our successes.”

After the game, the team debriefed with their coach and celebrated the win with cake.

Photos and reporting by Shreejay Arja and Asha Wojciechowski

09/24/2025

Varsity Field Hockey fell 6-0 to Presentation High School in their second home game of the season on Wednesday, Sept. 17. MVHS came close to scoring goals multiple times, and the team’s energy increased as the game progressed. During the first two sets, PHS had a slight lead of two points, but scored four more points in the third quarter, ultimately creating a lead that the Matadors couldn’t overcome.

According to freshman and scorekeeper Lucas Ferrante, the energy on the sidelines from the parents played a major role in the atmosphere and flow of the game. He notes that since the PHS parents were very involved in the game, there needs to be a stronger home crowd presence to provide a balance and motivate the team.

“We enjoyed the energy,” Ferrante said. “But at the same time, it can be difficult for our team to concentrate when multiple people from PHS are barking out orders at the same time. The occasional yell of support definitely does help the Matadors’ self-confidence.”

Photos and reporting by Angela P**n

09/23/2025

Varsity Girls Water Polo fell to Milpitas High School 4-5 on Wednesday, Sept. 17. Throughout the game, the Matadors fought ferociously with the Mustangs, with each period up until the last having equal scores. Despite the efforts, the Matador’s defense fell at the last second, which allowed the Mustangs to win through an offensive outburst, leading to the loss. Senior Ria Sethi believes that this loss shouldn’t discourage the team from the long-lasting season and has high hopes for the team’s future games.

“I’m a little upset, but I think that at the end of the day we need to improve our communication skills, and that we do have the strength to beat other water polo teams,” Sethi said. “It was a really close game, so I’m proud of where the team’s at, and we will definitely bounce back.”

Photos and reporting by Owen Liu and Elizabeth Yang

09/21/2025

Cupertino held its annual Silicon Valley Fall Festival at Memorial Park on Saturday, Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The event featured companies and vendors from all over Cupertino and the Bay Area. Even the Robotics Teams from each FUHSD school showcased their projects to the public. There were also numerous activities for children, including a bouncy playground and a petting zoo. Additionally, the Cupertino Rotary Club also held a passport event where participants visited a total of nine cultural booths to learn about the various cultures, earn a stamp, and receive a small prize.

Many of the vendors’ booths were from organizations that contributed to the health of children and raising money for the FUHSD schools. The festival also included multiple dance and music performances that featured dance studios from around Cupertino and music groups. For instance, the co-founder of Silk Road Preservation Collective, Baiga Li performed alongside her co-founder Han Mei Chen and fellow dancers, Mongolian dances that Li herself choreographed. Chen also mentions how doing traditional dance has brought a healing sensation that channeled through her as she moved, and believes that participating in dance is very beneficial, especially for those who both parent and work.

“Some of us are full-time moms, engineers and attorneys,” Chen said. “We’re all from various backgrounds, but we work together really well. Sometimes it’s hard for us to remember the moves, but if someone is good at a specific dance, they become the teacher for all of us, so it makes everything quite fun. While the pressure was there, I think we definitely did it in the end.”

Photos and reporting by Melody Lin and Rafaella Vento

09/21/2025

09/21/2025

Varsity Football fell 19-6 to Gunn High School on Friday, Sept. 12. MVHS started the game off strong with a touchdown from senior and running back Rocco Ling within the first five minutes of the first quarter. GHS gained momentum on its offensive side, scoring a touchdown in response to MVHS and another to end the first quarter 13-6. In the second and third quarters, both teams had strong defense, preventing them from putting any points on the board. However, GHS’ passing ultimately gave it the upper hand, allowing them to come out on top 19-6 with a touchdown late into the fourth quarter.

Receivers, defensive back and special teams coach Raymond Torres says the team started off strong, but as the game progressed, it was difficult for them to maintain momentum, noting mental mistakes and personal issues.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m worried moving forward,” Torres said. “I think it’s all things that are fixable. We just got to go back to the drawing board and really work on our stuff — it’s all about fundamentals.”

Photos and reporting by Leo Lee and Ananda Singh

09/20/2025

Varsity Girls Water Polo fell 10-6 to Homestead High School on Thursday, Sept. 18. HHS started strong, with a 3-0 lead after the first quarter, that was then extended to a 7-1 advantage by halftime. However, MVHS was able to outscore HHS 5-3 in the second half to close the gap.

Captain and field player Nandini Karthik says that the improved showing in the second half was due to improved defense and communication, which have been ongoing areas of focus on the team. She believes that the team outperformed their expectations despite the loss, and were able to bounce back a frustrating 5-4 loss in their previous game.

“This game is a representation of the rest of the season,” Karthik said. “In the second half, we did a lot better. I think that going forward, that’s how it’s going to be — where we go a lot harder on defense and do a lot better on communication.”

Photos and reporting by Emmy Harimoto and Ethan Yang

09/18/2025

Varsity Girls Volleyball fell 3-0 to Los Gatos High School in their first league match of the season on Monday, Aug. 15. Despite not winning a set, MVHS stayed competitive throughout the game, losing all sets by less than five points. During the first two sets, MVHS began with a lead over LGHS but was overtaken by the end.

According to senior and middle hitter Nicole Jeleva, LGHS has a reputation for being strong in their offense and size, and MVHS prioritized their defensive skills while preparing for the game because of this. During the game, the team targeted specific LGHS players to compensate for the other team’s strengths, and Jeleva believes this helped the team be able to put up a good fight.

“I’m proud of our team, and I think that we did obviously have some iffy plays, but we still played really well,” Jeleva said. “We had some momentum shifters that pushed us to lose the sets at the end, but we were still able to keep the game really competitive. We are playing Milpitas on Wednesday, and I think we’re going to do great there.”

Photos and reporting by Anish Khinvasara and Giljoon Lee

09/17/2025

Varsity Girls Water Polo fell to Saratoga High School 9-3 on Thursday, Sept. 11. Although Saratoga took the lead throughout all four quarters, MVHS saw noticeable improvement in their defense from their previous game. Looking ahead, the team aims to keep building on their defensive skills while focusing on strengthening their offense early in the season.

During the fourth quarter, Senior Hannah Wu notes that the team received a rare yellow card from one of the referees — Wu’s first in her four years on the team — due to excessive sideline communication. However, she sees this as a reflection of the team’s improved coordination and commitment in supporting one another.

“Communication, even from the bench, is really helpful because sometimes it’s hard to hear what the coach specifically is saying during the game,” Wu said. “So when the bench is able to amplify it, it helps the players because they are able to hear more clearly what the coaches want us to do.”

Photos and reporting by Ellie Wang and Grishma Jain

09/15/2025

Cupertino Main Street featured pop country band Country Cougars for its fourth week of the ongoing LiveOnMain Event on Friday, Sept. 12. Live OnMain is an annual series that hosts a different band each Friday for six weeks, all with varying themes. Country Cougars not only played various country classics, but also allocated specific songs to line dances and encouraged attendees to learn and take part in them.

This audience participation was also supported by line dance instructor Elizabeth Quinton, a member JMJ Line Dancing, an organization the band has partnered with for years. Friday’s performance was Quinton’s first time teaching at a live concert in her three years of line dancing experience, and she found that the sheer amount of people dancing and socializing was incredible to see.

“There were a lot of people wanting to learn, which made the event all the more exciting,” said Quinton. “Just being out with people and dancing was great experience, everyone seemed to just really enjoy themselves and have fun with the community.”

Photos and reporting by Maahi Dev and Sana Karkhanis

09/13/2025

Varsity Girls Volleyball defeated Cupertino High School 3-1 on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Though CHS scored the first three points of the game, MVHS soon pulled ahead, winning the first set 25-19. Carrying their momentum over to the second set, the Matadors quickly gained a nearly 10-point lead, which they retained to beat CHS 25-17. The two teams then went neck-and-neck in the third set, with CHS winning 23-25. With many long rallies and close saves, the fourth set was equally close, with the Matadors ultimately prevailing 25-21 and winning the game.

Sophomore and defense specialist Isabella Wong says she is proud of the team’s performance and how strong they have been starting off the season, as this is their fifth win of six games. Though she attributes losing the third set to fatigue, she says being able to push through and win the fourth set made it more special.

“It was just super validating,” Wong said. “Since we won the first two sets already, you’re already like, ‘No, we can do it. We already know we can do it.’ It’s just more rewarding to lose, then come back.”

Although Wong feels her performance was okay, she is especially happy with her serves and adds that she has to maintain a balance between criticism and positivity about her performance.

“There’s always room for improvement, as long as you’re not constantly looking down on yourself and as long as you stay positive to yourself,” Wong said. “Every single time after a game, I just have to remind myself of something I did great today and sometimes something I can work on. I think part of staying positive is just like knowing your own self-worth and also thinking about how hard I’ve worked and how much more room I have to improve.”

Photos and reporting by Corinna Kuo