![“[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)
Undefeated varsity football beats Marina High in sixth win of season
The team faces the flag and stands for the national anthem prior to the game. Harker beat Marina High School 30-0, maintaining their undefeated season record.
September 30, 2017
Varsity football beat Marina High last night 30-0, maintaining an undefeated season record of 6-0. The team played at the Monterey Peninsula College Stadium for their fourth away game and sixth consecutive win of the season.
The Eagles lost the coin toss, and the Marina Mariners began in possession of the ball. After four downs, the ball transitioned to the Eagles. Before the Eagles’ first four downs of the game were over, the ball was fumbled and ended in possession of the opposing team.
Later regaining the ball, Harker was intercepted by Marina cornerback William Leander. Immediately after, however, Anthony Contreras (12) intercepted Marina’s ball during their first down, leading to a turnover.
The first quarter ended with the score still 0-0, with neither team managing to come out on top with turnover after turnover.
Despite a weak first quarter, things turned around in the second when junior Aaron Smith scored the first of his many touchdowns of the game, leaping over the goalline through a Marina defender.
Aaron Smith (11) charges through a Marina defender to score a touchdown. He scored a total of four touchdowns in the game.
Only a few minutes after, kicker Dominic Cea (12) kicked a field goal during the team’s fourth down, raising the match score to 10-0.
Mitchell Kole (12) attributes the slow start to overconfidence in the team and the underestimation of their opponents before the match.
“We went into the game pretty confident, which led us to be smacked in the mouth a little bit in the beginning, but I think that put us in gear to get an advantage and later beat them,” he said.
Towards the end of the second quarter, Harker quarterback Nate Kelly (12) fumbled the ball, leading to another turnover.
During the third quarter, Marina fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Harker defensive back Anthony Meissner (11). Anthony ran all the way up to the seven-yard line before being tackled.
Aaron was then able to charge through the goal line to score his second touchdown of the game, with an extra point kick by Dominic. In the last quarter of the game, Aaron was once again able to chalk up another touchdown with another extra point kick by Dominic, raising the score to 24-0.
At the very end of the match, Aaron was able to land the last of his four touchdowns, but with an unsuccessful kick from Dominic. The final score of the game was 30-0, with Harker adding another win to their successful season record of now six wins and zero losses.
Mitchel believed that the game was crucial to their overall season and would foretell the team’s performance in the future.
“This game was definitely one of the most important games of the season, as it kind of defines whether or not we break down in the middle of the season or if we keep going,” he said. “We kept going and hopefully next week, we keep that streak up.”
Head coach Mike Tirabassi thought that there was a lot to improve in the match, especially offensively, but thinks that overall the team showed great effort and pride in what they do.
“Our offense wasn’t playing as well as I would [have liked], but defense did great and carried us through the game,” Tirabassi said. “It was an ugly win, but because we have players with a lot of heart that take a lot of pride in what they’re doing, we got it done.”
The team’s next game is at home against Tamalpais High School on Friday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m.
