![“[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 boys water polo loses to Wilcox High School
Eric Holt (12) prepares to throw the ball at the goal. Eric was the leading scorer in the game with a total of seven goals.
Varsity Boys Water Polo had its fourth league loss of the season today against Wilcox High School, ending the game 16 to 10.
The boys were repeatedly counterattacked during the first quarter, with Wilcox scoring seven goals to their two. The team remained six goals behind for the rest of the game, with scores of 7-2, 11-6, 15-9 and 16-10 at the end of the first, second, third and fourth quarters respectively.
Eric Holt (12) was the leading scorer for the game with seven goals. Additional goals were made Jeremy Binkley (12), Alex Thomas (12) and Jack Farnham (10).
“In all my years of coaching, this is probably the best shooting team that I’ve seen,” Head Coach Ted Ujifusa said. ”Everybody is a very good shooter, Billy and Eric are outstanding, but they’re all good.”
The team has had some difficulty understanding and implementing the advice of their coaches.
“Sometimes, as a coach, I feel like maybe my message isn’t getting across so Dr. Adler and I have been looking at ways to try and give them the message so that they can all sort of figure it out,” Ujifusa said.
Two of the team’s greatest strengths are their ability to capitalize on their opponent’s mistakes and the close bond between team members.
“Our greatest strength is our chemistry,” Eric said. “A lot of the players have been playing with each other for several years and we have the ability to pass the ball to each other in great positions to score. Even the younger players on the team have synced with us well.”
In the future, the team looks to play more consistently throughout the game, as their games right now are rather erratic, playing great at times and losing by a large margin at other times.
The Girls’ Varsity team played Wilcox directly after the boys’ game. Although the game was close, a goal in the final minute led Wilcox to a 10-9 victory.
In league, the boys hold a 6-4 record, the girls 4-7. Both teams play Cupertino High next Tuesday for their senior night.
Additional reporting done by Alyssa Amick.
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....
Alyssa Amick (12) is the Co- Editor in Chief of Harker Aquila. She has been part of the journalism program since her freshman year. Her favorite part of...