![“[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)
During its last home game of the season today, the boys’ baseball team lost against Sacred Heart Prep 2-15 at Blackford.
Seniors Kevin Cali, Drew Goldstein, and Jacob Hoffman were honored before the match with bouquets of roses and words of recognition for their achievements from head coach CJ Cali.
The game started out slow with Sacred Heart up 3-0. Jacob inspired optimism as he made a hit, leading Kevin and David Lin (10) to score off his hit, rolling in two points. As the reigning League Champion with only one loss to Menlo, the Eagles could not defend home plate from the Gators and ended with a final score of 2-15.
Despite the defeat, team members turned their attention to celebrating their senior night with cake and pizza. Players took pictures with the seniors and spoke words of gratitude.
Some players expressed sorrow that it would be their last year playing alongside the seniors.
“It’s definitely going to be a loss to the program, as they are by far the best players on the team,” Arthur Goldstein (9) said.
Even though the game ended in a loss leaving the team at 9-14-1 overall, the seniors were pleased because of the passion they saw in the underclassmen’s performance.
“I was really proud of how our young team competed with the far more experienced Sacred Heart Prep squad,” Jacob said. “Although I obviously wish my fellow seniors and I could’ve finished our careers with a win, the determination I saw from our youngest players was very satisfying in and of itself.”
The team looks forward to its final match of the season against Menlo this Friday, May 10.
