![“[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 team ties North Salinas 2-2
Alec Zhang (9) dribbles the ball past a North Salinas defender. The varsity boys soccer team tied North Salinas 2-2 on Friday in their third game of the season.
December 7, 2021
The varsity boys soccer team tied North Salinas High School 2-2 on Friday at home.
The game started with numerous passing and interceptions between players. North Salinas scored a goal at the 19-minute mark, quickly following with a second goal at the 23-minute mark and bringing the score to 0-2 by halftime.
“We came into the game having a game plan to sit back, let them have the ball and then take advantage of their mistakes,” team captain Ishaan Mantripragada (12) said.
At halftime, the Harker team noticed that they were falling behind and modified their formation and strategy to press the opposing team’s offense more. As a result, Ishaan scored the Eagles’ first goal seven minutes into the second half, scoring another goal at the 26-minute mark of the second half and finishing the game tied.
“[The game] went [well] in the first half, but it went better in the second half because we changed formation and we pressed higher and forced more of their errors,” team member Jack Yang (10) said.
Assistant athletic trainer Laz Cardenas, who watched the game, believes the team will continue to play well this season.
“[I’m looking forward] to seeing how they progress,” Cardenas said. “They seem like a really good team this year, and a lot of the players were part of the CCS championship team two years ago, so it should be a good season for them.”
Over the course of the season, Ishaan hopes that the team will grow closer together, and in turn, have greater success.
“Especially after COVID last year, the main thing that our team could improve on is getting to know each other much better because some of the seniors still need to get to know some of the freshmen [and] sophomores and build team chemistry,” Ishaan said. “We have to build trust with each other, and that’s how we’ll find our success this season.”
