![“[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)
Boys’ Basketball places 2nd in CCS
Huck Vaughan (12) dribbles the ball around his opponent. The boys placed 2nd in CCS after losing against Sacred Heart 48-37.
The boys’ basketball team placed 2nd in CCS Division IV after losing to Sacred Heart Preparatory 48-37 today at Independence High School in the CCS finals.
Though Sacred Heart maintained a steady lead the first half, ending the first quarter 9-2 and second 23-17, the Eagles picked up in the third quarter, trailing at 28-29. They were unable to maintain the momentum though, falling back once again during the 4th quarter. Shots were made by Srivinay Irrinki (11), Eric Holt (11), Nick Nguyen (11), Huckleberry Vaughan (12), Sean Pan (12) and Wei Wei Buchsteiner (12).
“We started off so slowly and out of sync just because of the venue and big time stage,” Head Coach Butch Keller said. “It’s a big game and when we caught up we used all our energy to catch up and we couldn’t get over them.”
Despite the loss, the team still has high expectations for the Northern California Championship (NorCal) playoffs, a spot they gained by advancing to CCS finals.
“Though the game against Prep was definitely a hard one to swallow, I’m excited that we still get to play in Norcals,” Sean Pan (12) said. “We’re just looking forward to coming out and playing at our true potential and better than we did today.”
Keller also echoed Sean’s hopes for a better game Wednesday at the NorCal playoffs.
“I think we were here today because we deserve to be, the last six teams we beat were very good basketball teams and we played hard enough and well enough to be here,” Keller said. “Today just wasn’t our day and we hope that Wednesday will be our day.”
Many students, faculty, and alumni came out dressed in white as requested by the team to cheer on the boys. A generous donor paid for the admission of all students and faculty attending the game.
Back in the bay for spring break, basketball player and alumni Shreya Vemuri (‘12) was impressed by the spectator turnout.
“I think it was really nice to see the crowd come out and see how far the team has come from last year, especially since the crowd is what motivated me as a player” she said.
The school’s mascot also came out and rallied the crowd’s support.
The team will play at the first Round of NorCal playoffs this Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Roshni Pankhaniya is the Sports Editor of the Winged Post. She is a senior and has been previously been a reporter and the Sports Editor for Harker Aquila....
Sheridan Tobin is the co-Editor in Chief of The Winged Post. She is a senior and this is her fourth year on staff. She was the Global Editor and Opinion...