![“[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 basketball team dominates Yerba Buena High School 83-28
Michael Chang (11) drives the play across the floor flanked by his teammates. Varsity boys basketball kicked off their season with a strong home win over Yerba Buena High School, scoring 83-28 in their first unofficial league game on Tuesday.
Varsity boys basketball kicked off their season with a strong home win over Yerba Buena High School, scoring 83-28 in their first unofficial league game on Tuesday.
The Eagles opened the first quarter with two consecutive three-pointers by Om Tandon (11). Later, with 4:50 left on the clock and Harker leading 10-2, Yerba called a timeout.
“We came out the gates pretty strong and we were hustling on both ends of the floor,” Om said. “That energy carried out throughout the whole game and that’s why we finished with the score that we did.”
After the timeout, Yerba responded by scoring eight points, but the first quarter concluded with a three-pointer by Advay Monga (10) that kept the Eagles in the lead 20-10.
Starting the second quarter, the Eagles scored nine points, prompting another Yerba Buena timeout. The Eagles used the second quarter to stretch their lead, scoring a total of 33 points and pushing the score to 53-17. Point leaders Bowen Xia (10) and Om scored a collective 20 points throughout the quarter, as they shot a three-pointer and three two-pointers respectively. Om added two points for the Eagles from free throws.
After halftime, Harker continued to extend their lead starting with a two-point shot by Kevin Zhang (11) and a lay-up followed by a dunk by Abhi Namala (12). Teammate KJ Williams (12) followed with another layup, bringing the score to 63-17. Soon after, Yerba Buena scored multiple layups of their own. Matching their intensity, Advay rebounded a missed three, passing it to KJ who scored a layup. The Eagles accumulated 19 more points in the third quarter as opposed to Yerba’s five, and closed the third quarter 72-22.
The Eagles sealed the game by scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter with Advay scoring six points and Michael Chang (11) scoring five, ending the game with a score of 83-28.
Varsity basketball alumni Andrew Chen (‘22) and Gene Wang (‘19) came to support the team at their opening match.
“It was fun to see my old coach and friends play,” Andrew said. “They absolutely crushed them, and I’ll definitely come back over breaks if I’m free [and watch them play again].”
Coming from the junior varsity team last year, Advay appreciates his new teammates for helping him grow as a player.
“Everybody’s really nice and we help each other grow as a team,” Advay said. “It’s a lot harder on varsity, but it helped me grow as a player.”
New varsity boys basketball head coach Alfredo Alves looks forward to the rest of the season following the team’s first win, and hopes to expand upon the legacy that previous head coach Butch Keller started.
“I’m excited for what the season is to hold and what the future holds for me as a varsity boys head coach,” Coach Alves said. “[I was] definitely nervous before the game naturally, but I think the boys made it easy for me. I’m looking forward to the rest [of the season], and as I said, Coach Keller is a huge part of that. I’m just continuing what he’s done.”
Jessica Tang (12) is the photo editor for Harker Aquila, and this is her third year on staff. This year, Jessica looks forward to using new equipment to...
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...