![“[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)
Game Talk with Gabe: Super Bowl LVII preview
In today’s professional sports column “Game Talk with Gabe,” Aquila Assistant Sports Editor Gabe Sachse (10) discusses his predictions for the upcoming Super Bowl. This biggest game in American sports is set to occur in one week, on Feb. 12 in Phoenix, Arizona, where the Philadelphia Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs to compete for this year’s National Football League title.
February 5, 2023
The biggest game in American sports is set to occur in one week, on Feb. 12 in Phoenix, Arizona, where the Philadelphia Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl LVII.
Philadelphia comes into the championship game after one of their smoother Super Bowl runs in recent years, losing only three games in the regular season to clinch the NFC number one seed and then defeating the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers in two blowout playoff games, with a combined score of 69-14.
The Chiefs, on the other hand, battled up to the big game by first winning a hard-fought game against the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-20 after an ankle injury limited superstar QB Patrick Mahomes. They then won a thriller against the Cincinnati Bengals on a walk-off field goal set up by a roughing the passer penalty by Bengals defender Joseph Ossai.
Despite their very different playoff runs, Philly and Kansas City match up well against each other on paper. Both teams are led by MVP-candidate quarterbacks, with the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and the Chiefs’ Mahomes among the ranks of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Both teams also sport explosive offensive weapons — notably, tight end Travis Kelce and running back Isaiah Pacheco with the Chiefs and wide receivers Devonta Smith and AJ Brown with the Eagles. However, Philadelphia’s offensive line provides much better protection for their quarterback, even against dominating defenses like the 49ers’, which is their major talent advantage over the Chiefs.
Even with the better roster, the Eagles’ lack of true playoff experience will come back to haunt them in this contest. The team’s management shook up the entire outside of a couple players from the 2018 championship run, which ended in a thrilling Super Bowl victory over the Patriots. The Chiefs are still led by most of the same players from their previous Super Bowl runs. Even this postseason, the Eagles barely fought against the Giants, who were lucky to be in the playoffs due to their worse roster and almost zero playoff experience. Aided by an injury that undefeated 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy suffered in the first quarter, forcing him out for the game, and a number of questionable calls against San Francisco, including the play that first gave them momentum, a 29-yard completion on 4th and 3 to Devonta Smith that was clearly dropped after replay, Philadelphia strolled through the NFC championship game without any real challenge.
On top of all this, the Eagles struggled to contain some of San Francisco’s best players even when they were led on offense by a backup quarterback, posing a massive question for the Philadelphia defense: who’s stopping the Mahomes-to-Travis Kelce connection? The Eagles will fail to answer this question on the biggest stage, and my prediction is that the Chiefs offense will dominate on their way to another Super Bowl title.
Gabe’s Prediction: Chiefs 38, Eagles 20
