![“[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)
Spring Sports Update
KJ Mulam
Sophomore Cameron Zell lunges across the softball field to catch the ball. The softball team currently holds a league record of 1-0.
March 28, 2017
Track
Track and field runners competed in their first WBAL meet for this season on March 15. Anthony Contreras (12) led the team with wins in the 100m, 200m, and 400m in the team relay which included Anthony, David Howard (12) and Mitchell Granados (10). Sophomores Lilly Anderson, Alex Rule, and Henry Wong each respectively had their own wins in their own events. They attended the Firebird Invitational on Saturday at Fremont High school.
Swimming
The swim team recently competed in the Palo Alto Invitational at St. Francis and the Small-School Invitational at Sacred Heart. They have started their dual-school meets for this season, completing the first on Mar. 23.
“I’m looking forward to improving my times this season and just having a good time with the team,” Kevin Tzeng (11) said.
Boys Golf
The boys golf currently hold first place in their league. The boys played at the Pahrump Invitational Tournament in Las Vegas on March 10, winning third place out of 18 teams. They play at the 2017 Champions Invitational Tournament this Fri. and Sat.
Boys Tennis
The varsity boys tennis team currently holds a 11-2 overall record. During the weekend of March 3-4, the Eagles travelled to Fresno, to play as part of the California Tennis Classic tournament, where they got third in their division. They play Nueva school tomorrow at Backesto Park.
Boys Volleyball
The varsity boys volleyball team has an overall record of 7-2, with a league record of 2-1. “Since we moved up a league, we are competing against stronger teams like Monta Vista and Saratoga, but our team has a lot of great potential this year,” Woody Ye (12) said. “Though tough, I hope we can make CCS this year, so I can leave high school with a great memory for my senior season.”
Softball
The varsity girls softball team started off their season with an amazing start, with an overall record of 5-1, and league record of 1-0. They play their next away game tomorrow against Notre Dame-Belmont.
“We started out with a lot of new players, but after working hard at practice every day, we have definitely improved a lot, which has led us to mercy rule four teams and win our first league game,” third base and center field player Taylor Lam (10) said. “Even though we suffered our first loss last week, the team has been working even harder to improve on the mistakes we made and hopefully continue winning this season.”
Senior captain Marti Sutton echoed Taylor’s thoughts.
“Our newbies are growing quickly and we’re really bonding, which helps us read each other during games,” Marti said. “Although it’s just the beginning of the season, I can’t wait to see how we match up against some of the tougher teams.”
Boys Baseball
The varsity boys baseball team has an overall record of 5-1, with a league record of 2-0. They play their next game against Westmoor High School at Blackford tomorrow.
“It’s insane how well this season’s going for us,” Karan Gupta (10) said. “I’ve improved a lot from the offseason to this year, and the rest of the players on the team have improved a lot. I can’t wait to see what the season is going to offer us this year.”
Girls Lacrosse
The varsity girls lacrosse team holds an overall record of 3-3 as of March 15. They play their next game tomorrow against Aragon High School.
“This season is the best we’ve ever had because not only we are doing better in terms of statistics and winning in our league, but also I think our focus is not solely on team spirit but we focus on trying to improve ourselves,” Aditi Maheshwari (12) said. “That level is something we’ve never had before.”
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on March 28, 2017.
