![“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)
Varsity football team beats Cupertino High in first home game
The team plays defense against Cupertino High School. This was their second non-league game of the season.
September 2, 2017
The varsity football team beat the Cupertino High School Pioneers 35-0 in their first home game of the season yesterday.
Rithi Jayam (11) sang the national anthem to kick off the game.
“I’m so glad and honored to have sung the national anthem at Friday night’s football game against Cupertino, especially because we won,” Rithi said.
In the first quarter, Dominic Cea (12) scored a field goal, bringing the score to 3-0. He scored another field goal during the second quarter.
After halftime, the score remained at 6-0.
“Going into the locker room [during halftime], we were told that we’ve always come out flat in the second half and that we need to change that by setting the tone from the very first play in the third quarter,” Floyd Gordon (12) said. “Once Coach [Tirabassi] said those words, the team was full of energy, and we were determined to win and give the Harker community a great show.”
In the second half, Floyd scored one touchdown with a two point conversion. Aaron Smith (11) scored two touchdowns, and Nate Kelly (12) also scored a touchdown.
“The game got off to a relatively slow start for the offense in the first half, while the defense played lights out the entire game,” Ayush Vyas (11) said. “During halftime, our coaches made adjustments, and the offense started rolling again, which helped us win.”
The cheerleaders did not cheer at the team’s last game at James Lick, so today’s game was their first game cheering.
“It was crazy knowing that it was the start of my very last year cheering, which made me a little sad, but I’m also so excited because both football and cheer did amazing during the game and I can tell it’s going to be a great year,” Olivia Long (12) said.
The team’s next game is an away match against Santa Clara High School next Friday.
Before the beginning of the game, the football team charges through the banner that the cheer team made for them. The football team was the second sports team to officially see the new gym.
