![“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)
Students and faculty filled the Menlo School gym as they cheered on the Eagles to a nail-biting 62-59 victory over #2 seed Soquel High School in the quarterfinals of the CCS playoffs. Their victory earned them a place in the semifinals.
The Eagles struggled for the lead in the first half, falling short 25-38 by the end of the second quarter. Finally hitting their stride during the third quarter, they narrowed the lead to 46-47 through strong offense and defensive strategy and multiple fouls from the Soquel team.
That trend would continue into the fourth quarter as the Eagles overtook Soquel and brought the score to 61-57 with one minute left in the game. Another shooting foul brought freshman Nicholas Nguyen to the free throw line, who increased the score to 62-59. With just over 20
seconds left in the quarter, Soquel failed to complete two three-point shot attempts and turned the ball over to the Eagles, ending the game.
On February 23, the Varsity boys’ basketball team defeated Stevenson School 61-43 to move on to face Soquel.
Both teams began the game with strong performances in the first quarter, which ended 13-15 Stevenson. However, that would be the last time the Eagles found themselves behind; from the second quarter onward, they pulled ahead and maintained the lead for the rest of the game.
First half highlights include multiple three-point shots from junior Spenser Quash, who would be the leading scorer of the night with 16 points. The Eagles led 34-23 by the end of the half.
During the second half, the Eagles held on to and increased their lead with minimal fouling, scoring 54 points to Stevenson’s 35 by the end of the third quarter. As the point difference continued to increase in the final quarter, every player on the Eagles got a chance to play and was sent in to the roaring approval of the fans in the crowd.
“The bench did a great job, and it was great to see everybody play,” Coach Butch Keller said.
The players were excited about moving on to the quarterfinals and look forward to the semifinals.
“We set up a good match-up for ourselves against Soquel,” Saagar Sarin (12) said. “We think the bracket’s favorable to us.”
Be sure to watch the boys play in the semifinals at Menlo School on Tuesday, February 28, at 7:15 p.m.
![“Probably the most important thing that I can do is to help raise awareness amongst youth because [students] are the ones that sadly are going to inherit this mess. It’s important for us, the people who helped take the planet to the place it is now, to really lean in and make a difference about this issue," Moss said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DSC_9315-e1778880890147-1200x873.jpg)