![“[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)
Wrestling competes at Del Mar tournament
Bobby Wang (9) wrestles a competitor at the Del Mar tournament. Bobby won 4th place in his weight class.
January 30, 2019
The Harker wrestling team traveled to Del Mar High School for its annual invitational wrestling tournament last weekend. The team roster included 122-pound weight class Bobby Wang (9), 140-pound weight class Sophia Gottfried (10), 222-pound weight class Eric Fang (11) and 134-pound weight class Kobe Howard (12). Senior Arjun Kilaru did not attend the tournament due to a shoulder injury.
Wrestlers arrived at the high school at 6:30 a.m. for weigh-ins and a groom check. After eating breakfast, warmups began around 8 a.m. and the tournament officially began around 9 a.m.
Eric and Sophia automatically advanced to the next round of their brackets due to byes. Bobby and Kobe wrestled in the first round of the tournament, winning both their matches.
About an hour later, all four team members wrestled in the second round. Although Kobe, Bobby and Eric won their respective matches, Sophia lost her first official match of the season.
In his second match, Kobe suffered an injury to his arm. Despite this fact, Kobe wrestled a third match, winning by a single point.
Finally, Bobby lost his last two matches and won fourth place in his weight class. Kobe conceded his last two matches as a result of his arm injury, earning him fourth place. Sophia lost her second match, ending her run in the tournament, and Eric won third place in his weight class.
The team’s next tournament will be next Saturday, Feb. 2 at Wilcox High School.
