![“[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 defeats Cupertino 20-5
Aadith Srinivasan (10) hold the ball up at throwing position as he looks for a shot at the goal. The boys won 20-5.
Varsity boys water polo defeated Cupertino High 20-5 in a league home game yesterday afternoon, pushing their league record up to 6-4.
Edward Sheu (12) led the team offensively by scoring eight goals, followed by Arnav Tandon (11), who scored five. Aadith Srinivasan (10) and Raymond Xu (11) both netted 2 goals, while Bobby Bloomquist (9), Arben Gutierrez-Bujari (11) and Misha Ivkov (11) each scored one.
Despite the large point lead, assistant coach Victor Adler thought that the team could have played better.
“We played alright; I think going in we felt that we were going to win, and so [we didn’t] necessarily come with [our] A game, a little too relaxed,” Adler said. “[We were] not quite running the things we know we need to run to win against the better teams.”
By halftime, the Eagles were up 11-3, and completed the game with a decisive 20-5 victory.
“I think overall we played a solid game, both offensively and defensively,” hole defense player Raymond said. “But there’s a lot we can work on in our rematch against Saratoga and Homestead later in the season.”
The team has a rivalry with Saratoga, as they had just recently lost a game against last week.
“We should have used this game to hone our skills more for big games against top two teams like Homestead and Saratoga,” team captain Edward said. “We could definitely be a top two team if we practiced more on the stuff we’re lacking.”
Edward Sheu (12) shoots the ball into the goal while there are two defenders and a goalie trying to stop him. The boys won 20-5.
The junior varsity boys water polo played after the varsity team. The boys now prepare to play Lynbrook next Tuesday at 6:45 in an away game.
Justin Su (11) is the Aquila sports columnist. He has been a part of the journalism program since his freshman year. He hopes to bring his passion for...