![“[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 boys soccer crushes Eastside College Prep on senior night
Seniors on the varsity boys soccer team pose for a picture during the halftime ceremony. The Eagles won the matchup last Friday against Eastside 11-1.
February 14, 2020
The varsity boys soccer team had a blowout 11-1 victory against Eastside College Prep on senior night last Friday, bringing their overall record to 12-3-2.
The Eagles had no trouble scoring, controlling the ball for most of the game and earning multiple goals before halftime. They relentlessly attacked an Eastside team that was unprepared for their explosive offense, while playing solid defense. Nine Eagles scored, with Shomrik Mondal (12) and Muthu Panchanatham (10) almost hitting the coveted hat-trick with two goals each.
During halftime, seven seniors were honored: Anthony Xu, Asmit Kumar, Brandon Lin, Darshan Chahal, Shomrik and co-captains Andrew Cheplyansky and Jeffrey Fung. Head coach Jeff Baicher started off with a short speech honoring all the Eagles, especially the seniors, for their work throughout the season. The seniors then received flowers from the other members of the team and took pictures with their friends and family.
Members of the Harker community were very supportive of the soccer team, with many juniors and seniors creating signs for players and coming out to watch the game. For Jeffrey, senior night was especially impactful, allowing him to look back at his journey since he was a freshman on varsity.
“When I was a freshman, Jared Anderson, who was a senior last year, said that in what was 2 years for him the only 2 people left will be us. That’s just me this year – the only freshman who has played on varsity all 4 years. So, it was a little bit sad, to play our last home game,” Jeffrey said.
Multiple members of the junior varsity team also came out to support. Caden Lin (10), who rotated between the junior varsity and varsity teams throughout the season, recalled some of the great experiences he had with the seniors. Caden had trouble when he first came to Harker as a new student in ninth grade, but many of the seniors helped him fit in.
“The seniors are a really important part of the team on the field – they are some of our best players, the two team captains. They are really important since I am a younger kid. They tell me how I can improve, and they show me what kind of attitude you have to have on the field. You can see every time they win they really want it, and that’s just really inspiring,” Caden said.
This game was the last regular-season home game for the Eagles, but they may be returning to Davis Field during the playoffs. They play away at Menlo tomorrow, with their playoff aspirations resting on their victory.
Asmit Kumar (12) chases after a loose ball during the first half of the boys senior night game against Eastside. “The seniors are a really important part of the team on the field – they are some of our best players, the two team captains. You can see every time they win they really want it, and that’s just really inspiring,” teammate Caden Lin (10) said.
