![“[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)
Winter Sports Recap
With league play for Upper School winter sports teams in full swing, athletes have been scoring goals, shooting baskets, and winning matches for the past three months. Varsity Boys Basketball, Varsity Girls Basketball, Varsity Boys Soccer, Varsity Girls Soccer, and Varsity Wrestling are among the teams that have been racking up victories for the school; players reminisce fondly with three weeks left in the season.
Varsity Boys Basketball
Although their season only officially began a couple weeks ago, the boys have already played 18 games–and won 11. Led by head coach Butch Keller and team captains Will Deng (12), John Hughes (12), and Eric Holt (11), the team has started strong.
When asked about which game truly showcased the ability of the team, Wei Wei Buchsteiner (12) believed it to be the home opener against Sacred Heart on Jan. 10. Although the boys lost, Wei Wei sees this game as one of the highlights so far.
Another major game was the Jan 21. home game against King’s Academy. In addition to their 57-42 victory, this was the first game where the team had all of its players back from injuries and illnesses.
Their next home game will be against Eastside College Prep at Blackford on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m.
Varsity Girls Basketball
Varsity Girls Basketball started league play fairly recently. Though the girls lost their first game, they rebounded with a 44-28 victory against Crystal Springs Uplands. Highlights from this game included captain Nithya Vemireddy (12) scoring 22 points.
Captains for the Varsity team this year are Nithya, Alana Shamlou (12), and Michaela Vachev (11).
One change from last season is that all selected players are on the Varsity team; there is no longer a JV girls basketball team.
“Now that there’s no JV team, we have a lot of girls on the team,” Alana said. “We have to work to make sure everyone is meshing together.”
The girls will next be playing University Prep Academy at Blackford on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 6:00 p.m.
Varsity Girls Soccer
Under new Head Coach John Docherty, Varsity Girls Soccer has won 10 out of 12 games so far.
One of the team’s highlights was its rewarding 3-1 victory on Jan. 16 against Crystal Springs Upland, one of the top teams in the division.
“[Crystal Springs was] a tough competitor and gave us a hard game. Also, it felt really awesome to play at night under the lights,” Kaillee Gifford (9) said.
Kaillee, only a freshman, is the second highest scorer on the team with 13 goals this season.
The girls’ next game will be on Thursday, Feb. 6, at 3:30 p.m. versus Crystal Springs Uplands.
In addition to spending time on the field, the girls are also actively promoting the “Kicks Against Cancer” Fundraiser, which will raise money for Camp Okizu, a special camp for kids diagnosed with cancer.
Varsity Boys Soccer
Varsity Boys Soccer commenced its season in early December. The boys have won eight games and tied one, only conceding four defeats.
When asked about the season’s notable changes, Varsity player Alan Guo (11) mentioned an influx of new members and a formation shift from 3-5-2 to 4-3-3, referring to the number and organization of players on the field.
“We graduated 11 seniors so we have a lot of new faces,” Alan said. “Also, our coach changed our formation this year, and it’s working pretty well.”
Team members consider Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory their number one rival. Despite losing to them 1-4 earlier this month, the team believes they can emerge victorious from their game against them this Friday.
“I’m so happy for the boys,” Tsakiris said regarding their 5-2 home game victory against Crystal Springs Uplands on Thursday, Jan. 16. “This is just a perfect example of the guys working hard and being rewarded for it.”
The team practices under returning head coach Shaun Tsakiris and assistant coach Iman Siadat.
Their next home game will be on Friday, Feb. 7, at 3:00 p.m. on Davis Field versus Priory.
Varsity Wrestling
Varsity Wrestling began its season in October with eight student wrestlers: Davis Howard (9), Phil Kendall (9), Danny Riedenbach (9), Annirudh Ankola (11) , Arjun Kumar (12), Darian Edvalson (12), Ravi Bhandia (12), and Vincent Lin (12).
Seniors Darian and Vincent are co-captains for the team.
A significant change for the team this year was the amount of fresh faces: three new freshmen, one new junior, and one new senior joined this season.
“So far it’s been a tough season,” Darian said. “We haven’t really gotten that many wins as a team, but I’m sure we’re going to pick up.”
Darian, who has been wrestling since sixth grade, recently fractured his rib: this injury rendered him unable to participate for most of the season, but he will return to wrestle in the team’s last tournament.
Darian and Vincent were the only two returning wrestlers on the team this season. Head Coach Karriem Stinson and assistant coaches Jason Mendel (‘11) and Charles Ward lead the team.
The team’s next home match will be on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 5:30 p.m. at Blackford versus Los Altos High School.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on Jan. 27, 2014.
Juhi Gupta is the Multimedia Editor for Harker Aquila. She is a junior and has been part of the journalism program since her freshman year. Her position...
Vedant Thyagaraj is the Science & Technology Editor for Harker Aquila. He is currently a senior and has been on staff for the past three years. Vedant...
Alexis Gauba is a reporter for The Winged Post. She is a freshman, and it is her first year on the staff. Alexis is on the varsity girls golf team and...