![“[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)
Baseball team faces 18-3 defeat against Half Moon Bay
The Eagles huddle in the first inning to change fielding strategies. After the huddle, pitcher Mark Hu (12) retired a Half Moon Bay batter with a fastball.
April 4, 2022
The varsity boys baseball team lost to the Half Moon Bay Cougars 18-3 last Thursday at home in the opening week of Peninsula Athletic League play.
In the first inning, the Eagles struggled to stop Half Moon Bay from scoring, allowing Cougar batters to repeatedly get on base and score ten runs. Harker responded with a run off a ball powered into left field by Ryan Field (9).
Nick Delfino (11) acknowledged that lineup changes from last year contributed to the team’s slow start this season.
“We had a lot of seniors last year, with only three to four returning starters, so we have to fill in a lot of people that haven’t played before,” Nick said. “It’s going to take some adjustment. Plus, we moved up a league, so we’re playing harder opponents. This is going to be an adjustment year. I think most of it [will be] getting people experienced.”
In the next two innings, the Eagles defense picked up their play — pitcher Mark Hu (12) retired three batters at the top of the second inning, and the fielding team tagged out many Half Moon Bay players before they reached home plate.
This small victory pleased head coach Mike Delfino, who appreciated how the team’s promotion to a higher division following their CCS Championship victory last season has stretched the team positively, despite the increased challenge.
“This season we’ll keep growing as a team,” Delfino said. “With each practice and every game, we’re a lot better than we were a month ago and will be a lot better a month from now. Sometimes, these teams we play against, they’re big and they’re fast, so [the games] are good learning experiences for us.”
The team loaded the bases in the third inning. Though not all three players reached home, Aaron Lo (12) scored one more run for the team, making it 10-2. The Eagles then lost steam. The team conceded runs to Half Moon Bay in the 4th, 6th, and 7th innings and scored a third run of its own in the 5th inning, ending the game with a final score of 18-3.
Nick remains optimistic about the rest of the season — he hopes to mentor the new players and passing down the knowledge he learned from last year’s CCS championship-winning seniors.
