![“[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)
Junior varsity boys water polo team extends win streak with victory over Los Gatos
Oliver Roman (9) blocks a pass from an opposing player during the junior varsity water polo team’s match against Los Gatos on Tuesday. The boys won 13-3.
September 23, 2021
The junior varsity boys water polo team defeated Los Gatos 13-3 on Tuesday.
The game started off slowly: Los Gatos gained an early lead, but the Eagles managed to pull ahead by halftime with a score of 2-1. During the second half, the team capitalized on their opponents’ mistakes, which provided them with more opportunities to score. They maintained a strong offense throughout the game and strengthened their defense during the second half, emerging victorious with a sizable ten-point lead in the end.
“We used a lot of counterattacks, and then we got 13 goals off of them by the end,” junior varsity player Marcus Blenneman (9) said. “Our front court defense could be better. We only let them get three goals, but we probably should still work on it.”
Boys water polo coach and upper school math teacher Victor Adler agreed with Marcus’ sentiments regarding strengthening their defense.
“We have the offensive firepower, but we have to be more focused on defense,” Adler said. “Towards the end of the game, we ground them down—they started making mistakes so that pressure we applied throughout the game finally paid off.”
Adler also mentioned the importance of remaining humble in the face of victory.
“We have an experienced crew that just grinds the other teams down,” Adler said. “ I’d really like to see us not be cocky because the [junior varsity] team wins most of their games, but still you really have to come out hard at the start of every game.”
The team still has eight matches left on their schedule. They will travel to Palo Alto High School today and Saint Francis High School tomorrow for their next two games.
