![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[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)
Harker football announces awards at annual banquet
Keanu Forbes (12), Christian Williams (12), Sidhart Krishnamurthi (12), and Logan Drazovich (11) await the results of the coin toss. Harker won the homecoming game against Ribet Academy.
Coach Ron Forbes announced the recipients of this season’s football awards during the annual Varsity football banquet last Saturday.
Keanu Forbes (12) was honored as the team’s Most Valuable Player. He played twelve different positions this season, including starting quarterback. Keanu had over 1,750 all purpose yards on offense, 825 passing yards with five touchdowns, 800 rushing yards with seven touchdowns, 28 yards receiving and 126 yards in kickoff and punt returns.
Sidhart Krishnamurti (12) was the recipient of the Coaches Leadership Award.
“As a four year starter on both offense and defense, Sid unselfishly set the standard every day in the classroom, in the community, on the practice field and in the game,” said Forbes. Sidhart has 22 total tackles on defense, two interceptions, 13 offensive receptions for 214 yards, and two touchdowns.
Allen Huang (12) received the Deron Thorp Award for the second time in his high school career.
“Allen’s commitment to the Harker football program is unparalleled,” Forbes said. “He is also the only male athlete to win the Iron Eagle Award more than once, which is also a testament to his year round commitment to football.”
The offensive Most Valuable Players are Christian Williams (12) and Nate Kelly (9). Christian led the team with 28 receptions, 510 yards and five touchdown catches. Nate scored six rushing touchdowns, two touchdown catches, along with over 1,000 all-purpose yards this season.
James Pauli (9) and Johnathon Keller (11) are the defensive Most Valuable Players. James had 49 tackles, eight solo tackles, a quarterback sack, a forced fumble and interception. Johnathon lead the defensive team with four interceptions, seven pass breakups and a defensive score off a fumble recovery.
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