![“[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 water polo team defeats Leigh 22-6
Rajas Apte (9) presses a Leigh player while on defense. The varsity boys water polo team participated in the Silicon Valley Invite Tournament this past weekend.
October 24, 2021
The varsity boys water polo team defeated Leigh High 22-6 in the first round of the Silicon Valley Invite Tournament, hosted at the upper school yesterday and Friday.
A starting burst of energy gave Harker an early lead as the defense blocked all but two of Leigh’s shots. The Eagles offense dominated in their own right, scoring unrelentingly to put the Eagles up 8-1 by the end of the first quarter and 17-2 by the end of the first half.
“When we came out, we had a lot of momentum,” team member Elvis Han (12) said. “In general, when we’re against teams that might not be as fast as us, we try to counter-attack a lot to be able to really push the offensive and give a lot of goals really fast, so I think that’s what we did in the first half today. We played our hearts out.”
In the third quarter, the game’s pace lagged slightly: interceptions and blocked goals led to the ball being exchanged back and forth between the two teams. Each team scored twice to raise the score to 19-4. In the fourth quarter, Harker rallied, further extending their lead for the final score of 22-6.
Because Harker asserted a large lead early on in the game, the Eagles were able to relax in the second half and swap in less experienced players like freshman Vyom Vidyarthi.
“I’m glad that everyone got to play,” Vyom said. “It was not a very difficult game, and I’m glad that everyone could touch the ball and score. It was fun.”
Deeya Kumar (11), who watched the game, points out the varsity boys water polo team’s depth as one of their strengths.
“Our team is really good this year because we got some really good freshmen,” she said.
This tournament marks some of the last games of this year’s water polo season. Head Coach Lee McBride expressed his appreciation for the team’s improvement over the course of the season.
“They’ve grown a whole bunch,” McBride said. “Their work ethic, their compassion throughout all these practices has really made a difference. We [made] big strides not only in terms of our X’s and O’s and tactics, per se, but our teamwork as a whole also really improved.”
Harker next defeated Leland High School in the tournament on Saturday morning.
“I think this was my last ever water polo game so I’m glad that we ended up winning,” ” Elvis said. “Everyone is in a really good mood. I’m happy to end on this note.”
