![“[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 completes undefeated regular season after beating Irvington
Dominic Cea (12) kicks the ball as Nate Kelly (12) holds it in place for him. The team went undefeated in their regular season this year.
October 29, 2017
Varsity football beat the Irvington High School Vikings 42-7 Saturday night at the Tak Fudenna Memorial Stadium in Fremont. The Eagles now hold an undefeated 9-0 record, with this match marking the last game in the Eagles’ regular season before playoffs.
The game began with a rough start for the Eagles, as the Vikings scored a touchdown on a punt return with an extra point to follow up. Immediately after, Aaron Smith (11) scored a touchdown, and kicker Dominic Cea (12) scored a subsequent extra point.
The score was tied 7-7 by the end of the first quarter, with Harker facing a tougher match than they expected. Wide receiver Anthony Contreras (12) believes Irvington’s touchdown in the first quarter inspired the team to play harder.
“When they caught us off guard and scored that touchdown, it got us all really fired up for a major comeback since today was our special day for an undefeated record, and they weren’t going to take that away from us,” Anthony said.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Harker wide receiver Angel Cervantes (12) scored a touchdown after catching a pass from quarterback Nate Kelly (12). Dominic’s extra point kick was blocked by Viking cornerback Alonso Sainz, bringing the score to 13-6.
After an Irvington timeout, Eagles wide receiver Marcus Tymous (11) completed a pass by Nate and ran 16 yards to score the team’s second touchdown of the night. Nate threw a successful two-point conversion to wide receiver Nemo Yang (11).
Nate charged the football into the endzone for a touchdown after a long run by Anthony towards the end of the second quarter. Dominic was able to kick a valid extra point after the touchdown.
By halftime, the score was 28-7, with the Eagles maintaining a strong lead. Irvington High School’s varsity cheerleaders performed a routine for the audience during halftime. Harker’s own cheerleaders cheered on the football team throughout the match.
Aaron ran a remarkable 22 yards and followed up with a touchdown in the middle of the third period. Dominic kicked an extra point after, extending Harker’s lead.
Angel picked Irvington’s ball shortly after, with Marcus scoring the last touchdown of the night at the end of the third period.
The score stood stagnant throughout the fourth period, with neither team managing to score. In the end, Harker won 42-7, crushing their last game of the regular season.
Dominic attributes the win to all the hard work the team has put in leading up to the game.
“We won because of all the team’s hard work the whole season, and it showed by us playing well today,” Dominic said.
Harker beat Irvington despite facing off against a Division I team, while Harker itself is in Division IV. This win not only demonstrates the team’s ability to challenge teams in higher divisions but also improves the team’s rankings for playoffs. The undefeated team will go into playoffs with an unprecedented school record of 9-0.
“This game was a good warmup for the playoffs, but what really matters is that we execute during the game, and we did that really well today for the most part,” head football coach Mike Tirabassi said.
