![“[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 basketball clinches first-round CCS win over Design Tech, falters in second round
The Harker bench celebrates at the end of their 71-48 first-round CCS win over Design Tech. Heading into the game, the Eagles (7-17) were seeded ninth in the bracket while the Design Tech Dragons (11-12) were unseeded; however, the Eagles were coming off a six-game losing streak, while the Dragons had won four of their last six.
February 23, 2020
The varsity boys basketball team clinched a 71-48 win over Design Tech in the first round of the CCS Division IV playoffs at home on Friday, advancing to a second-round matchup against Scotts Valley on Saturday that the Eagles dropped 48-42.
Heading into the game, the Eagles (7-17) were seeded ninth in the bracket while the Design Tech Dragons (11-12) were unseeded; however, the Eagles were coming off a six-game losing streak, while the Dragons had won four of their last six.
The game began with five seniors — Jack Connors, Giovanni Rofa, Naveen Mirapuri, Jeffrey Liu and Vance Vu — starting, going on a 9-2 run that set the tone for the Harker-dominated game. After Jack, the Eagles’ leading scorer this season, walked off injured late in the first quarter, the Eagles ended the first period 16-11.
“Jack brings a lot of leadership and scoring to the team, so we just needed other people to step up, so I tried my best [to do that],” Eric Zhu (11), who notched a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, said.
Harker began the second quarter with a three-pointer from Eric, his second of the evening, that began a 10-3 Eagles run. The teams entered the locker room at halftime with the Eagles holding a 9-point lead, 31-22.
“At halftime, we tried to cut down on our outside shooting and that forced us to pass the ball more and we got more shots off of assists and offensive rebounds, which was where most of our points in the second half came from,” Eric said.
With more strong shooting and defense, the Eagles outscored the Dragons 20-12 over the course of the third quarter, heading into the last period with a comfortable 51-34 lead. They ended the game strong, stringing together consecutive baskets to finish the game 71-48, with John Zeng (10) scoring a buzzer-beating two on the final play.
The next day, the boys traveled to the 8-seed Scotts Valley (12-12) on Saturday evening in the second round, looking to advance to the quarterfinals.
The game began fairly evenly, with the Eagles ending the first quarter up 8-7. However, with an excess of turnovers, the Eagles were outscored 20-4 in the second period by the Falcons, entering halftime facing a 17-point deficit, 28-11.
After the first few minutes of the third quarter, the Eagles began their late comeback, rallying to bring the score to within three in the fourth. However, they ultimately fell short, losing 48-42 and ending their season with a second-round CCS exit.
