![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“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 it's played such a major role in who I've 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 I'm [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)
![“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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't 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)
![“[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)
![“I'm 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 there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's 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)
The Varsity boys basketball team won 64-56 in yesterday’s CCS game against Pacific Grove, earning its place in the division 4 quarterfinals.
The game began with Pacific Grove in the lead, but the Eagles quickly turned the score around, ending the half 25-21 and maintaining a marginal lead throughout the rest of the game.
Pacific Grove picked up speed in the second half, but the Eagles ended the third quarter 45-37. After a series of two-pointers and free-throws, Pacific Grove brought the game to a tie at 50-50 and eventually took the lead but could not keep its momentum. Despite a number of controversial calls that sent their fans into a vehement frenzy, the Eagles finished the game with a victory.
“They passed a lot, which I think is really important. They need to do that,” said parent Rohini Ashok, reflecting on the game. “[The calls] were subpar, but it happens. They can’t be held back by what the refs do. At this level, I think they’re playing really well, and they’ve almost got a rhythm now.”
Despite their victory, coach Butch Keller was somewhat disappointed with the team’s performance.
“I told them if we didn’t have a lot of character we wouldn’t have won,” he said. “I’m not proud of the way we played basketball, but I’m proud of the way we reacted to the situation. I don’t know if it’s because it’s playoff time or what, but we lost focus.”
Although pleased with the team’s efforts and CCS victory, Varsity player Eric Holt (10) agreed that the team had considerable room for improvement.
“I think our biggest problem was rebounding in this game. We just have to work more as a team and box out,” he said. “I thought we played hard. We made a couple of mistakes offensively and defensively, but we should be able to correct them. I hope we do better against Menlo, because they’re a pretty good team.”
The boys will advance to the quarterfinals in an away game against Menlo High School on Saturday.
