![“[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 boy’s soccer beats San Mateo 5-2
Lauren Russel
Eric Roxlo (12) dribbles the ball towards a defender. The Eagles beat San Mateo High School 5-2 in the third game of the season.
The boys’ Varsity soccer team defeated San Mateo High School 5-2 today in a rainy third game of the season.
The first half started with the Eagles trailing, 1-0. After three consecutive goals made by Omar Hamade (11), the team managed to come back into the lead 3-1.The Eagles finished the first half strong, defending against several attempted goals so that the score remained 3-1.
The second half brought more action, and a collision between Jeremiah Anderson (12) and a member of the opposing team resulted in a yellow card for the opposing member. Oisin Coveney (11) broke away with the ball and weaved past three defenders in order to pass the goal to Omar for a fourth goal. As the game progressed, the rain lessened and a triple rainbow came out right before Omar made another goal and brought the score to 5-1.
As the game progressed, the game became more physical, and a San Mateo player received a yellow card. Soon after that call, Jeremiah Anderson (12) was kicked in the lower leg when colliding with an opposing member. After talking with the coach, Anderson limped off the field with Head Trainer Jaron Olson as the spectators applauded. In the last 10 minutes of the game, San Mateo scored a second goal with a header to bring the final score 5-2.
Omar, the sole Harker scorer for the game felt that his five goals were not a result of his own work.
“We left the locker room as a team, we knew we were going to win; we just needed the effort,” Omar said. “The whole team worked hard and it was the whole team that won the game and not the individual.”
Aside from the win, the team had other reasons to celebrate. Oisin, one of the members of the team had his birthday today on the day of the game. When asked about his assist, Oisin commented that the goal was not just a result of his work and skill.
“I kind of got lucky and managed to get around the three defenders, and Omar made a great run so I could give him a pass to goal,” Oisin said. “It wasn’t my assist that mainly helped us win the game, it was the defensive work that our guys put in, especially when they [San Mateo] started scoring and when they started pushing on us.”
Jeremiah, the only player injured during the game, could not continue playing for the rest of the game after being injured.
“I got kicked and it hurt,” he said. “I’ll be playing next time though. I’m alright now.”
Omar commented that the current team had a good chance of winning CCS as long as they kept working hard together, and the victory has inspired the team to continue to push themselves in the future games.
Lauren Russell (10) is a reporter in her second year on staff for the Winged Post. After joining the staff for freshman year, she looks forward to continuing...