![“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)
Homecoming 2018: The game in pictures
The Eagles dominated the Lobos from Elsie Allen High for a shutdown 56-0 victory yesterday night in front of a large homecoming crowd, bringing their overall record to 5-2.
Defensive back Giovanni Rofa (11) broke a school record by recording four interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns. Mitchell Granados (12), acting as running back because Devin Keller (11) and Marcus Tymous (12) were injured, scored three rushing touchdowns, including one from 34 yards away. Quarterback Anthony Meissner (12) connected with Jared Anderson in the endzone (12) twice as well to for a total of eight Harker touchdowns.
The game was preceded by a tug-of-war pull for third place between the sophomores and the freshmen, which the sophomores won, as well as a dance performed by the lower school’s Eaglets.
During half-time, the cheer team and varsity dance troupe each performed routines, after which the seniors and the juniors faced off in a final round of tug of war, which the seniors won. Dr. Teja Patil (’02) was honored with the alumni award, and seniors Kelsey Wu and Neil Ramaswamy were announced the winners of homecoming royalty.
Throughout the game, food trucks and school-sponsored fundraisers sold refreshments and other goods in the tailgate area, and jazz band played segments of songs, directed by music teacher Dr. David Hart.
A student purchases a snack from the popular Mrs. Carley’s café before the start of the game. Attendees had a variety of snacks to choose from, including ice cream tacos and boba tea.
A member of Harker’s junior cheer team from the lower school jumps during a pre-game performance on Davis Field. The crowd was also entertained before the game with the appearance of the second-grade Eaglets.
Sophomores Rosh Roy, Bayden Yazalina and Emma Boyce participate in the third-place pull against the freshmen before the game. The sophomores lost against the seniors in the preliminary round but came back with a win against the freshmen to place third overall in the tug-of-war spirit contest.
Jared Anderson (12) kicks for the extra point after an Eagles touchdown. The Eagles scored five touchdowns in the first half and three in the second for a dominant 56-0 victory against the Lobos from Elsie Allen High. “They’re a very very small team, they’ve lost a lot of their key players, so we should have won that game [anyway]. But our players played well and played with class,” head football coach Mike Tirabassi said.
Mitchell Granados (12) runs with the ball. Mitchell, who usually plays at the wide receiver position, was forced to act as the team’s running back as both Devin Keller (11) and Marcus Tymous (12) were injured. “I hate when people get injured, especially my friends, especially my teammates,” Mitchell said. “I came in and I did what I had to do. I haven’t really practiced [for this], but I tried my best and it worked out.”
With about two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Siddharth Dudyala (11) catches a 37-yard pass from quarterback Anthony Meissner (12) to advance the ball to the Lobos’ 2-yard line. Although a Lobos interception thwarted Harker from converting from the red zone, they still ended the first half with a 21-0 lead.
Grant Miner (11) and other members of the jazz band play before the game. The jazz band, led by Dr. Hart, serenaded the crowd and the players through the entire homecoming game.
Trevor Thompson (12) is tackled by an Elsie Allen defensive player during the homecoming game. “Homecoming is the best, everyone looks forward to it all year. The crowd is so great and they’re so supportive, and it makes such a big difference for our guys,” football coach Tirabassi said.
Quarterback Anthony Meissner tries to avoid incoming Elsie Allen linebacker Andre Duvall. Anthony passed for two touchdowns, connecting with wide receiver Jared Anderson both times.
Offensive linebacker Trevor Thompson sacks Elsie Allen quarterback Vincent Martinez. “Our whole O-line and D-line [stood out]; both lines did a great job,” football coach Tirabassi said.
Karina Chen (10) and Charlotte Blanc (11) performs with other members of the varsity dance troupe at halftime. The dancers performed to a mashup of songs that included rapper Cardi B’s “I Like It.”
The cheerleading squad performed on the field at halftime as well as during the game to hype up the crowd. “I’ve been playing football for four years, and I feel like every step of the way, cheerleaders have been there,” Ayush Vyas (12) said. “They travel with us on away games, they make the long rides—through thick and thin, they’re with us, and to have that support system, whether you’re winning, whether you’re losing, to make sure the crowd is into intermission and the players are into it, it’s huge.”
Seniors Matthew Hajjar and Gene Wang, among others, participate in the tug-of-war championship pull against the junior class at halftime. The class of 2019 won the tug-of-war event after defeating the class of 2021 in the preliminary round and the class of 2020 in the finals.
The homecoming court includes, from left to right: juniors Kevin Chen and Tiffany Zhao, seniors Richard Wang, Scout McNealy, Andrew Skrobak, Neil Ramaswamy, Kelsey Wu and Esha Deokar, sophomores Alex Zhai and Vivian Jin, and freshmen David Dai and Aaditya Gulati. Seniors Neil Ramaswamy and Kelsey Wu were revealed to be the homecoming monarchs at halftime and donned green fur cloaks.
Sophomore backup quarterback Vijay Vyas, playing in the quarterback position for the first time in a varsity game, catches the ball after a snap. “[Vijay] comes out every day, he knows more football than anyone on the team [and] he’ll be a really good coach someday, and a really good quarterback next year when he takes over,” head football coach Mike Tirabassi said. “Being the backup quarterback is tough [because] you don’t get a lot of reps in the game, but he came in, was ready to go and he did a good job.”
Giovanni Rofa (11) jumps high in the air to catch the ball. Giovanni set a school record by returning three of his four interceptions for touchdowns. “It was my first time ever scoring, and it was amazing. I heard my name; I heard that I broke a school record, which is pretty cool,” Giovanni said.
Offensive linebacker Trevor Thompson sacks Elsie Allen quarterback Vincent Martinez. “Our whole O-line and D-line [stood out]; both lines did a great job,” football coach Tirabassi said.
Mitchell weaves through a pack of Elsie Allen defenders. Mitchell rushed for three touchdowns, including one for 34 yards. “It was great. Homecoming is always fun, tons of people, tons of support,” Mitchell said. “First time I’ve ever really had a key role in the game, so that was crazy.”
Nicholas Meissner (10) and Trevor work together to tackle Elsie Allen wide receiver Christian Peterson. “A big thank you to the crowd,” football coach Tirabassi said. “There’s a lot of people that go into getting that crowd; Mr. Lawson, Mr. Molin, all the people that put together homecoming and really worked to get people out here. It means a lot for the football team and they don’t get enough credit.”
Sophomores Lisa Barooah, Hannah Sobczyn, Zoe Sanders and Zoe Kister cheer during the homecoming game. “The crowd is amazing. We’d love to have a crowd like this every week, but when we get it it’s pretty special,” football coach Tirabassi said.
Aditya Singhvi (12) is a co-managing editor of Harker Aquila. This is his fourth year on staff. Outside of journalism, he enjoys running and watching...
Kathy Fang (12) is the editor-in-chief of Harker Aquila. This is her fourth year on staff. From covering local marches and protests to initiating Harker...
Nicole Chen (12) is Harker Aquila's Editor-in-Chief. She joined the journalism program in her freshman year as a reporter and became features editor as...