![“[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)
Varsity football plays season opener vs. Overfelt
The Harker Varsity Football team lost their season opener 21-38 against Overfelt at Davis Field last night.
Overfelt held the Eagles scoreless for the first half to maintain 30-point lead. Harker then rebounded with all three touchdowns in the second half, two of which occurred in the last ten minutes of the game.
In the opinion of captain Sidhart Krishnamurthi (12), the team’s comeback was attributable to them letting the first half of the game go and starting with a new mindset.
“I think that we just pretended the score was 0-0 and came out with more confidence in our system and each other [than before],” said Sidhart.
The three touchdowns were scored by Nate Kelly (9), Christian Williams (12), and Keanu Forbes (12), along with an extra point from kicker, Alyssa Amick (12).
Halfway through 3rd quarter, Nate Kelly scored a touchdown and the team succeeded in an attempt at a two-point conversion to bring the score to 8-30.
Overfelt quickly responded with another eight points. The Eagles pulled out two more touchdowns in the last quarter of the game, narrowing Overfelt’s lead. Wide receiver Christian Williams scored late in the fourth quarter, followed by quarterback Keanu Forbes who rushed the final touchdown with 53 seconds left in the game.
This season’s roster has 40 players, allowing the team to return to league play and regulation football, as compared to last year’s 9-man games. Due to injuries and a low turnout, the 2013 roster did not have enough healthy players to compete in the regular league with eleven players on the field.
In an effort to strengthen Harker’s football program, a large portion of this season’s roster is made up of new players. According to maxpreps, 28 of the 44 players on the roster are underclassmen. A lot of expectation surrounds this new team, as a result of the tremendous rebuilding of Harker’s football program that has gone on over the past year.
Williams says the loss resulted from the team’s relative inexperience but is excited by the outcome of the second half.
Quarterback Forbes shared a similar hope for upcoming games. “We just have to execute more because we had a lot of mistakes that cost us the game, so if we just capitalize and get better, then we will win more games,” Forbes said.
Despite the loss, the game had a large turnout. The stands were nearly completely filled with green and white clad members of the Harker community including students, families, and faculty, while Overfelt supporters filled only a quarter of the bleachers designated to the opposing team.
Senior Laya Indukuri was among the crowd of supporters watching the game last night.
“I came out to support my friends and the whole team. Even though we lost, I think that Harker’s football program is making a step in the right direction,” she said. “I also think it was really great to see that so many people came to help cheer them on.”
The Varsity Cheer team also performed a spirited routine during halftime.
The team’s next game is at Del Mar High School on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m.
Megy Appalaraju (12) is the Sports Editor of Harker Aquila. This is her second year in the Harker journalism program. Her favorite part about journalism...
Sabrina Sidhu, senior, is Editor-in-Chief of the TALON yearbook. This is her fourth year on staff, and over the years she has been both a reporter and...