![“[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)
Winter sports come to a close, spring sports dive into season openers
Zachary Blue (11) leaps up for a jump serve during varsity boys volleyball practice on March 6. The boys won their season opener against Menlo Atherton.
March 8, 2023
Varsity boys basketball, varsity girls basketball and varsity girls soccer closed out their seasons with Central Coast Section (CCS) games, while varsity boys soccer fell short of qualifying, losing 0-4 to Sacred Heart Preparatory in their last game of the season.
After defeating Marina High School 61-52 on Feb. 18, the varsity boys basketball team advanced to the CCS Championship quarterfinals, facing Half Moon Bay High School on Feb. 21. The Eagles lost 46-71, but ended the season with a strong overall league record of 17-9.
With an 8-16 record, varsity girls basketball beat Scotts Valley High School 57-25 at home in the first round of the CCS Championships. The team faced King’s Academy in the quarterfinals but fell short 36-45.
Junior varsity team captain Naiya Daswani (10) offers a unique perspective into the season as she was able to join the varsity team in some of their games due to a lack of players, and learn from both varsity and junior varsity team dynamics.
“I think this basketball season was a great experience,” Naiya said. “There were some games where we would only have five players, so we would play the whole game. I appreciated the team setting and felt we grew closer during our time together.”
Varsity girls soccer ended with a record of 11-7-2, but lost 3-5 in their first round of CCS to Nueva, which ended their run after a strong season.
Although varsity boys soccer did not qualify for CCS, they finished off the season with a record of 4-8-5. Seven seniors were honored at a senior night ceremony, followed by a 1-0 win against Priory on Feb. 10.
After months of pre-season preparations, the seven spring sports, girls lacrosse, boys volleyball, boys baseball, boys golf, boys tennis, swimming and track and field, kicked off their seasons.
Varsity girls lacrosse played their first league game of the season against Notre Dame High School on March 1, starting off strong with a 17-7 win. The team hosted Castilleja on March 3, defeating them 23-11. Varsity boys tennis fell 2-5 to Crystal Springs Uplands on March 1. Varsity boys volleyball matched up against Leland on March 3, defeating them 3-0.
Varsity boys golf faced Design Tech High School on March 1 and came out victorious with a score of 160-173. Sophomore golfer Jonathan Xue reflects on the start of the positive and hopeful start of the season, highlighting the close-knit team dynamic.
“There’s a lot of new people on the team, which is exciting, and also a lot of old friends that I get to see again, and that’s really fun,” Jonathan said. “There’s a lot of camaraderie [and] we’ve already had a lot of bonds and connections — I feel this team will go really far and it’s a great start to the season.”
