![“[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)
Football team wins in home opener against San Jose High
Harker defenders tackle a San Jose High School player at the football game on Friday. The Eagles defeated the San Jose Bulldogs in their home opener, 27-16.
The varsity football team dominated San Jose High School 27-16 in their first home game on Friday at 7:30 p.m., bringing their season record to 2-1.
With this highly-anticipated first home game of the season, a large home crowd showed up at the game to support, with spectators decked out in green to represent school spirit. A group of Harker alumni, including former wide receiver Aaditya Gulati (‘22), came out to the game, cheering loudly in support of the new team.
“It was a really fun game especially because there were so many people there,” cornerback and wide receiver Tyler Beede (12) said. “It just brought a lot of energy to us, and we were somewhat nervous going into the game because they’re [the San Jose Bulldogs], probably one of the bigger teams we’re gonna play this year, but then I saw the crowd that was there and all the energy was there.”
The game started half an hour later than scheduled due to California’s heat wave, but the Eagles kicked off with a strong start. Despite the Eagles’ missed 4th down conversion, Ryan Barth (11) followed with a strong punt. After a failed drive by San Jose, a pass by quarterback Rohan Gorti (12) to wide receiver Zeke Weng (12) led to an early touchdown by Zeke, with eight minutes still left in the first quarter. After Ryan’s successful kick for the extra point, the Eagles led 7-0.
The rest of the quarter continued well for the Eagles, with a completed pass from Rohan to wide receiver, defensive lineman and quarterback Bowen Xia (10), runs by defensive back and running back Dylan Parikh (12) and strong defense. With two minutes left in the quarter, offensive lineman and defensive lineman Kevin Bettencourt (11) intercepted a punt by San Jose, running for an Eagle touchdown. The Eagles followed with a two-point conversion by Rohan, bringing their lead to 15-0.
“I think it is really exciting – Harker is playing really well,” Cynthia Wang (11) said. “Even though I only came in the second quarter, it’s amazing to see the score at 15-0.”
Harker continued their strong defense in the second quarter, with wide receiver and defensive back Daniel Lin (11) intercepting a pass from the Bulldogs, setting them up to extend their lead. Rohan threw a pass intended for linebacker, wide receiver and tight end Liam Jeffers (10), who completed it and ran for a touchdown, bringing the Eagle lead to a dominating 21-0. After a received kick from Ryan, the Bulldogs scored a touchdown with less than 25 seconds on the clock, followed by a two point conversion to bring the final halftime score to 21-8.
After a halftime performance by Harker’s cheer team, consisting of James Blenko (11), Sarah Westgate (11) and Kashish Priyam (10), the third quarter had a touchdown and two point conversion by the Bulldogs and a Harker touchdown by Dylan. Wide receiver and defensive backer Tej Aswani (10) brought down a long run by the Bulldogs right before a holding call by the refs on the Eagles. With four minutes left in the quarter, Liam intercepted the ball from the Bulldogs, ending the third quarter with Harker in a strong lead 27-8.
During the final quarter, Rohan scrambled away from the Bulldogs’ defensive line for 30 yards. Other key plays included an interception by Tej and a 35 yard reception by wide receiver Rayan Arya (10). As the clock ticked away to end the fourth quarter, Harker soared to victory.
Tyler is looking forward to upcoming games, especially Homecoming, which will occur on Oct. 8, at 6 p.m. on Davis Field.
“I’m looking forward to coming out next game with the same energy and intensity, and Homecoming and senior night should be really fun,” Tyler said. “I’m excited for that.”
The Eagles will go up against Burton High School this Friday on Davis Field.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly wrote that Bowen Xia (10) is a defensive lineman and quarterback, instead of defensive lineman and wide receiver. The article has been corrected on Sept. 18 to reflect those errors.
Aishani Singh (12) is a Managing editor for Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, she looks forward to interacting more with...
Sidak Sanghari (12) is an Editor-in-Chief of Humans of Harker, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, she looks forward to honor the Class of...
Sally Zhu (12) is the co-editor-in-chief of Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, Sally wishes to interview more people around...
Kinnera Mulam (12) is the co-editor-in-chief of the Winged Post, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, Kinnera hopes to get to know all the...
Brandon Zau (12) is the photo editor for Harker Aquila, and this is his fourth year on staff. This year, Brandon hopes to celebrate his senior Class of...