"It's usually something dumb like 'eat rice' or 'spaghetti and meatballs,' but it fakes them out and they're still thinking about it when the play starts," says Lee. And while they're puzzling over exactly what was said and in what language, Lee and the others use it to their advantage.

Lee, a tackle, is one of the many nationalities represented on this diverse team, which resembles a mini United Nations of sorts. Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise, though, as according to Joint Venture Silicon Valley's 2003 statistics, 34 percent of the residents here were born in another country. So the fact that a significant number of the players have parents born in another country serves as a reminder of the area's changing demographics.

Lee has high aspirations off the field as well. He manages to hold down a 4.0 grade point average while devoting a significant portion of time to practices and games, but he would like to become a doctor—possibly a pediatrician—or get involved in medical research. Like the United States, he's a melting pot himself. Although born in the United States, he speaks both Vietnamese and English. His father is Korean and his mother Vietnamese.

Although the players bring a wide spectrum of cultures and differences to the playing field, there has never been a problem with each other because of this diversity.

"We're a country of our own," explains assistant coach Jason Van Benthuysen. "We go to battle every week so we must stick together."

Teammates develop extremely tight bonds, something the coaches take steps to strengthen with activities like a once-a-week dinner hosted each time by a different player's family. It's not for strategizing either—the kids do things like rent movies, play video games and socialize. Head coach Tony Santos, whose grandfather was a migrant farm worker, instituted this practice and works with the team captain on organizing the weekly event.

There are variations of this practice. Both coaches attended Bellarmine College Preparatory where "pie night" meant the backs bought the linemen pizza. But this is somewhat different. These dinners aim to bring the whole team together in an informal setting outside of practice to forge bonds off the field. This team is progressive, and coaches use a variety of modern techniques. At the beginning of practice while warming up, yoga is integrated into the stretches along with more traditional exercises.

One of the interesting aspects of a multinational team is that many of the players are not all that familiar with football since it doesn't exist in their own country. In fact, some still speak enviously about possibly playing soccer in Europe, rather than getting a shot at the NFL. This does make fielding a team a little more challenging, so coaches recruit from PE classes and look for athletically gifted students rather than just experience or relying on kids to try out.

That's how senior George Fielding came to the team. Fielding came here three years ago from Cameroon, a country in Western Africa bordering on Nigeria to the north. One of the frustrations Fielding experienced was a lack of familiarity with his country and the resulting misperceptions.

There is a certain amount of good-natured teasing concerning stereotypes, some of it stemming from outdated information or misinformation. It is generally harmless, but sometimes it can rub players the wrong way.

"People think we live in the jungle and walk around with spears," he says. It does make him mad, he admits, but he channels his irritation in a mature and well-thought-out manner—he brings in pictures of his country to show people.

It's really not all that different from our own, with all the necessities of a modern city, just not as much money or expensive cars and things. It is also one of the most diverse geographical regions in Africa, with rainforests and hilly regions.

Fielding, who also speaks French, has managed to acclimate quickly to his new home and even has a girlfriend who attends Saratoga High School. He plans on attending De Anza College, where he hopes to continue playing football.

Another student also eager to set the record straight about his country is senior Branimir Vatavuk, the team's free safety, who was born in the United States but whose family emigrated from Croatia.

"People think it's all war-torn, but it's not," he says. "You might see a couple of hotels still destroyed, but it's been cleaned up and is very beautiful."

His family still has strong ties to its homeland and visits regularly; in fact, outside of Silicon Valley, it's the only place he has actually visited. Vatavuk would even like to live there, but for now plans on attending De Anza College after graduating. Fortunately, his family has kept its native language alive—his father speaks Croatian to him at home, but interestingly enough, he responds to his dad in English.

Alan Schuman was born in Portsmouth, England, and is another mixing pot. His father is Jewish American and his mother Christian and English. His mother's English accent came in handy when his sister's school was putting on a production of Scrooge—they brought in his mother for the students to mimic.

The place-kicker wants to attend Arizona State and pursue a career as a paramedic. Schuman credits football with his improved academic performance, going from a 2.0 to 3.3.

"There's a push to make sure the grades are up," he says, citing tutoring sessions with coach Antonio Bunting. The coaches are almost like surrogate parents, even calling the night before the big homecoming game to make sure everyone was in bed by 11 p.m.

Another football success is Brandon Bradford, who went from a 1.6 grade point average to 3.3 by the end of his junior year. Although he aced tests, he wasn't turning in homework, he admits, and football gave him the discipline to turn this around.

The coaches are not only available for academics and tutoring, he says, but will listen if someone is having a problem. "We get along well with the coaches," says Bradford. "There is more of a personal relationship."

The African American senior, an "army brat" by his own admission, peppers his dialogue with "yes, ma'am" and "no, ma'am." He credits this practice not only to his father's military background, but also to his family's roots in the South, where good manners are standard protocol.

Ramsey Habib's family emigrated from Ramallah in Central Palestine to get away from the conflict and fighting. Habib was born here, however, and has no relatives back in Rammalah, but he does speak a little Arabic. He has never experienced any backlash from Sept. 11 from his peers, only a little confusion. "They think I'm Muslim, but I'm actually Christian."

The junior couldn't imagine playing on another team and even has a blocking technique named after him. Although the coaches devised the actual steps—which are top secret but resemble a dance—the players nicknamed it the "Ramsey Dance" after the team's center.

Stefan Fowler is Caucasian and is therefore a little "different" from many of his teammates, but he doesn't feel different; he just appreciates learning about other cultures from those other players. The team dinners are frequently an opportunity to sample foods from other countries; he especially enjoyed the tacos and burritos from a fellow teammate and friend's home whose parents are from Mexico. The players get to meet the family and always make sure to thank "mom" for the good cooking.

The sophomore running back also enjoys listening to all the different languages—Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese and even Italian, which is the language Coach Bunting uses to yell at the players when he's angry.

"It's more laid back. People aren't worried so much about what others think," says Fowler. "We're all one team, and nothing is really different."

That's how the players see their team—not as anything different or unusual, just their team.

"Sports was on the forefront of mixing cultures before it was in vogue," says Santos. "Society can learn a lot from how kids relate to each other."