![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and its played such a major role in who Ive become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something Im [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala (21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“Im not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
Varsity football team loses home opener to Menlo
Senior Will Park runs past a Menlo defender. The Eagles lost their home opener 48-0.
September 11, 2016
The varsity football team lost 48-0 in their home opener against Menlo Friday night.
With quarterback Nate Kelly (11), linebacker James Pauli (11) and center Dominic Cea (11) unable to play, the Eagles needed to adjust to a new lineup and strategy.
“This game was a total left turn for us,” head coach Mike Tirabassi said. “We had to change everything around because of injuries, and it’s a long shot to get that done in four days of practice.”
The Menlo Knights took the lead early in the game, scoring their first touchdown within the first seven minutes but failing to make the two point conversion.
“We didn’t come prepared,” defensive linebacker Jalen Clark (11) said. “We thought that the defense we had was going to be able to push the running back in the middle, and the linebacker was going to come up in the B gap and seal off the running back and hopefully tackle him. But that plan failed, so we tried to readjust by spreading out our defense a bit. Basically, they found holes in our defense.”
The Knights went on to score four more touchdowns in the first half, leaving the score at 34-0 at halftime.
Coach Tirabassi commented on the strategic changes the coaching staff made to accommodate the new lineup.
“We typically have a balanced offense, like we’ll throw the ball and run out of a spread offense, but our quarterback’s a big part of that and he was hurt,” he said. “[For this game,] we tried to run what’s called a veer offense, which is just a little deception. That’s what we were going for, and that didn’t work for the first couple of drives. We took a shot knowing it was kind of a risk.”
After halftime, the Eagles limited the Knights to two more touchdowns in the third quarter. Neither team scored in the fourth.
Senior defensive back Rishabh Nijhawan commented on the effect the injuries had on team morale.
“We saw that our best players were out, and none of us played with our heads up,” he said. “We saw all of the negatives coming into this game and we were like, ‘We’re just going to take it.’”
Nevertheless, he gave the team credit for persevering despite the situation.
“The one positive that came would be staying in the game when it gets rough,” he said. “We were down 48-0, but our defense was still swarming. All odds were against us, and we knew we might not have even had enough players to go on the field, but our defense and our offense were running as fast as they could.”
Highlights for the Eagles included a pass from Angel Cervantes (11) to Anthony Contreras (11) for a 17-yard gain. Angel, usually a running back, played quarterback for the first time this season due to Nate’s injury.
“After playing quarterback, I give so much credit to the people who play quarterback, because it’s the hardest position to learn [and] to play,” he said. He cited his first pass as his favorite of the game.
“I think I surprised myself [with my first pass], because we didn’t really practice on throwing, we practiced more on running a different offense,” he said. “Once we got into our regular offense, it was awesome.”
After the loss, the team plans to watch the game film to dissect what happened and how they can improve from it.
From there, according to Angel, it’s just a matter of recovering and practicing with the usual lineup. Nate has already been cleared from his concussion, and the team is expected to be at full strength by early next week.
“We’ll take the rest of the week for rest and health, and we’ll come back next week even stronger,” Angel said.
The Eagles will play the Encinal Jets next Friday, Sept. 16 on Davis Field at 7:30 p.m.
