After two weeks without him, and two Saratoga losses, Newberry was on the field for the Falcons last Friday against Lynbrook, and he helped his club roll to a 39-6 non-league victory over the Vikings.

"This week we played much better, our intensity was up, and having Newberry back really helped," Saratoga coach Kurt Heinrich said. "He made a real difference for us."

Newberry led the club with 12 tackles, including five on special teams in kick off and punt coverage.

"He also caught the ball well out of the backfield and he threw a touchdown pass," Heinrich added. "He made the plays."

And Steve Marinero made the touchdowns for the Falcons. The senior fullback scored three times to help Saratoga open up a commanding lead over the Vikings.

"He had a really good game at fullback," Heinrich said of Marinero, who shared time there with Cameron Ballingall and Brian Dowdle--all three drawing praise from their coach. "He picked up some rugged yards inside for us."

The coach was also pleased with the effort of senior quarterback Amir Gupta.

"He played well at quarterback," the coach said. "He did a real good job of leading the team."

Junior wide receiver Alex Lagemann, who caught five passes, including the TD toss from Newberry, "had another huge game," Heinrich said. The junior had an impressive 65-yard kick off return early in the game, running over people along the way to "swap field position for us."

A key to the win for the Falcons just might have been the solid play of the offensive line of tackles Keyan Estahbanaty and David Pignatelli, guards Augie Lagemann and Jeff Roberts and center Scott Darchuk.

"That was the first time we've had all of those guys in there at the same time," Heinrich said. "And we're not unlike anyone else--when the offensive line does well, the team does well."

Lynbrook scored first in the game, taking advantage of a Saratoga turnover to grab the lead. The Falcons answered with a one-yard TD run by Ballingall, then Marinero went to work with touchdowns runs of two yards and one yard to give the Falcons a 19-6 lead at the half. Marinero blasted over from the 1-yard line in the third quarter to up the lead to 26-6.

Newberry went on top with a halfback pass to Alex Lagemann for a 39-yard scoring toss in the third, and Gupta capped the scoring when he snuck over from the 1-yard line. Three extra points by Nicholas May rounded out the scoring.

Saratoga will try to maintain its winning ways as the Falcons head into play in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. They open this week against league favorite Los Gatos on Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m., at Helm Field.

"If we compete, it will be a good game," Heinrich said. "If we make mistakes and turn it over, we'll get beat."

"All I want from a coach's standpoint is to see us show improvement," he added.

The Falcons did just that last Friday afternoon, and they have a win to show for it.