![“[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 and JV football teams both lost games to Salesian High School on October 16, giving them overall records of 6-1 and 1-5, respectively.
The Varsity team has a league record of 1-1, defeating California School for the Deaf 23-0 on October 1, but losing to Salesian 18-56. Matching the success and loss of the Varsity team, the JV team also triumphed over California School for the Deaf 44-8 and lost to Salesian 20-36.
Rishi Bhatia (12) contributed to each of the three varsity touchdowns, throwing six-yard and 30-yard touchdown passes to receiver Gautam Krishnamurthi (12) in addition to running two yards for a rushing touchdown.
“The most important thing for our team is to not lose the intensity we brought the first six weeks. If we stand back, satisfied by what we’ve accomplished so far, then we’ve already lost our remaining games,” Alexander Kablanian (12) said. “We can’t be satisfied about what we’ve done, because a 6-0 start doesn’t matter if we finish 0-4.”
The team opened the season with six victories. The Eagles have three remaining games: at St. Elizabeth High School today, at Berean Christian High School on November 6, and at home against Valley Christian High School on November 12, the last of which is the Homecoming game.
The team members stressed the importance of bonding and attributed their victories to it.
“As long as we stay together as brothers and fight for each other on the field, we will be successful,” Christopher McCallaCreary (12) said.
Rishi was named the San Jose Mercury News Male Athlete of the Week for the week of October 12 after a victory over Capuchino High School, which gave them their historic 6-0 record. He attributed his award to the team’s overall performance.
“The thing in the [San Jose Mercury News] was cool in that it spoke highly of the team and our successful season thus far,” Rishi said. “Any individual success is a product of the team performing well as a whole.”
