![“[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)
Boys soccer ties Leland 2-2
Andrew Cheplyansky (12) controls the ball with a header during the varsity game against Leland last Wednesday. The varsity team will play Crystal Springs in an away conference game this Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
January 13, 2020
The varsity boys soccer team ended their close game against Leland High in a tie 2-2 last Wednesday, while the junior varsity team lost 3-1.
“It’s definitely been a bit challenging for the boys. The boys are really starting to get to know each other, and it’s coming together,” varsity boys head coach Jeff Baicher said.
Marcos Acero (11) scored the Eagles’ first goal six minutes before halftime, but the opposing team followed it up with a goal seven minutes into the second half, tying the score 1-1. Around 15 minutes later, the Eagles scored again before Leland High tied the game with a final score of 2-2.
“We came into the game with a set game plan where we expected the [opponent] to play possession and build off of that. When they reverted to long ball, we did really well to tighten our defense and midfield and challenge them in the air,” varsity player Justin Fung (10) said. “We created chances through interplay and creative movement. I think one of the best plays of the game when we had a few 1-2s and Ishaan [Mantripragada (10)] kicked the ball over the defenders to me and I almost scored.”
The junior varsity boys soccer team played directly after, also against Leland, and suffered a 3-1 loss.
“I think our team did well in terms of effort. It seemed like everyone was always sprinting to the ball and trying their hardest, [but] our team lacked communication. Sometimes we didn’t talk to each other about who should be where and that led to errors,” junior varsity player Mir Bahri (9) said.
The varsity team will play Crystal Springs in an away conference game this Wednesday at 3:30 p.m., and the junior varsity team will play King’s Academy in a non-conference away game on Monday at 5:15 p.m.
