![“[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)
On Thursday, September 27, the boys water polo team defeated Cupertino High School 13-4.
After Cupertino scored the first goal of the game, the boys team started one point behind. However, the team quickly took the lead after co-captain Ryan Hume (12) scored two consecutive goals.
The team’s 8-1 halftime lead allowed them to use the rest of the game to try out new positions and different types of shots.
“[Having our] younger players play is helpful because […] if everybody picks up play by a little bit, the team picks up play by a lot,” co-captain Gilad Nilo (12) said, noting that the smaller individual improvements contribute to the team’s larger collective improvement.
Scorers included Ryan and Gilad, Jeremy Binkley (10), and Billy Bloomquist (10). The team also focused on their defense as Albert Chu (11) stole the ball five times in the second half alone.
The team and their coach attribute the win to both team unity and commitment. The boys team practices year round to gain more experience, while the Cupertino team does not.
Head Coach Ted Ujifusa said he wants the boys to play their best game, no matter who the competitors are.
“Regardless of [the playing level] of a team, we want to play our best,” he said. “Everybody was able to play this game, so our younger players gained more game experience.”
The boys team believes that the most challenging upcoming games will be the rematch games against the teams they have lost to so far: the October 4 game against Saratoga High School, the October 16 game against Wilcox High School, and the senior night game against Monta Vista School on October 18.
![Senior Gabe Sachse and sophomore Shaurya Jain hug after winning the game. “I don’t want to say goodbye because [the seniors] are my friends outside of baseball as well,” Shaurya said. “Either way, I wanted to go all out for the seniors.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/53-KAT_4240-e1747776384650-1200x778.jpg)
