![“[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)
Weekly sports previews: Dec. 5 to Dec.9
Aryan
Anya Chauhan (11) races to gain possession of the ball. The varsity girls soccer team’s overall record stands at 2-0.
Looking to support Harker Athletics? Check out this week’s slate of winter sports games and updates on how each team is performing below!
Girls basketball
The varsity girls basketball team started their season off at the 21st Sandi Stober Classic tournament hosted at Lynbrook High School. The team beat Burlingame High School 37-32 on Thursday, but fell 43-71 to Evergreen Valley High School on Friday, with another loss on Saturday against American High School 44-69. The junior varsity basketball team participated in the Monta Vista tournament, starting off with a loss against Monta Vista High School 11-29, but bounced back with a 23- 20 win against Santa Clara High School. The team fell to King’s Academy 23-41 on Saturday.
Boys basketball
Varsity boys basketball remains undefeated in the opening two weeks of their season after two unofficial scrimmages against Oak Grove High School and Aptos High School. On Tuesday over Thanksgiving break, the Eagles played Yerba Buena High School for their home opener game, crushing them 83-28. The JV and frosh/soph boys basketball teams played on the same day and both emerged victorious as well. The varsity team participated in the James Lick Invitational Tournament this past week, securing another big win on Wednesday against James Lick High School with a score of 59-12. In the winner’s bracket on Friday, the Eagles continued on to narrowly defeat Independence High School 57-55 by two free throws in the final second of the game. Advancing to the championship match, they beat Evergreen Valley High School 52-46 in a closely-refereed thriller on Saturday in which the Eagles pulled ahead in the final minutes of the game. Team co-captain Om Tandon (11) received the tournament MVP award, and team co-captains Abhi Namala (12) and KJ Williams (12) received all-tournament awards as well.
Girls soccer
Varsity girls soccer started their season off strong with two wins at home last week. On Monday, they dominated Scotts Valley, winning 4-0 with four different Eagles scoring goals. On Friday, they continued their hot streak, winning a solid 2-1 contest against the James Lick Comets. This week, the team will play home games against Prospect High School on Tuesday at 4 p.m. and Castilleja on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
Boys soccer
Boys varsity soccer kicked off the winter season with their first away game at Half Moon Bay High School on Tuesday, which the team lost 1-2. Their second game, which was against San Francisco International High School, set for Thursday was canceled due to rainy weather. In the coming week, the team will play against Santa Clara High School tomorrow at 6 p.m. and Lynbrook High School on Friday at 7 p.m. The junior varsity soccer team played against Half Moon Bay High School on Tuesday but lost 0-1. They will play against Santa Clara High School tomorrow at 4 p.m.
Emma Milner (12) is an Editor-in-Chief of Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. This year, Emma wishes to experiment with new story formats...
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Gabe Sachse (12) is a Managing editor for Harker Aquila, and this is his fourth year on staff. This year, Gabe is looking forward to writing his friends'...
Hima Thota (12) is a Managing editor for the Harker Aquila, and this is her fourth year on staff. Hima looks forward to capturing student and campus life...