![“[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)
The boys and girls varsity water polo teams suffered defeat to Palo Alto High School 14-16 and 5-10 respectively on their senior night Oct. 19 in the Singh Aquatic Center.
Before the game, students, parents and staff gathered to celebrate the two senior players on the boys team: Lachlan Rossi and Sasha Ivkov. Following the boys game against Palo Alto, the girls ceremony started before tip-off to celebrate senior Olivia Xu. JV boys water polo coach Victor Adler announced the girls and boys teams’ rosters before highlighting their seniors, while other Harker players presented the seniors with hugs and bouquets.
“It’s not easy to play for four years,” Victor Adler said. “They go year-round, year in, year out. It’s a lot, and at Harker, it’s an even bigger testament to their dedication to the sport.”
After their games, Lachlan, Sasha and Olivia gathered their teammates for speeches and photos, commemorating their last home game with Harker. The seniors voiced their appreciation to their team for their support both in and out of the pool.
“It was super exciting to play four years for this program,” Sasha said. “I had a great time and a lot of fun with these guys. The parents have been great, the coaches are super supportive. Overall, it’s been a really fun four years.”
“Our team has always been really close,” Olivia said. “Everyone was pretty emotional after the game. There was a lot of hugging and some crying. It was really nice being able to come together as a team in that formal way.”
Sasha kicked off the boys game with a goal. Palo Alto quickly gained momentum as they scored two consecutive goals half way through the first quarter. Harker responded with their offense by scoring five additional goals to cap off the first quarter leading 6-4.
Harker utilized the second quarter to further their lead and slow down most of Palo Alto’s offensive attempts, increasing the lead to 5-8. However, Palo Alto’s offense overwhelmed the Eagles’ defense throughout the third quarter as the Vikings took advantage of the Eagles’ miscommunication and poor man coverage.
The race for points continued into the fourth quarter until the game was tied 14-14 with four minutes remaining in the game. After a Palo Alto time-out, Lachlan found a shooting opportunity to gain a one-point lead at 15-14, reviving the Harker crowd with chants and cheering. Palo Alto quickly bounced back with a goal of their own tying the score once again at 15-15. Within the last minutes, Palo Alto pulled through, outmaneuvering Harker’s defense to score back-to-back goals for a final score of 14-16.
After the boys varsity loss, the girl’s game opened unsteadily as Palo Alto scored two successive goals within the first minute. Both sides scored regularly in the remainder of the quarter. The Eagles garnered three points and the Vikings four more, bringing the quarter score to 3-6.
Harker’s offense waned in the second quarter, scoring just one additional point. Palo Alto pulled further ahead with three points dispersed throughout the quarter, concluding the first half of the game with a five-point lead at 4-9.
In the remainder of the game, both teams struggled to land more shots as Harker strengthened its defense. The Vikings extended their lead by one point in the third quarter, while the Eagles secured a hard-earned goal toward the end of the fourth quarter for a final score of 5-10.
Both the girls and boys water polo teams qualified for Central Coast Section in their respective divisions as the 8th-seeded boys team in the CCS open division lost to rival and 1st-seeded Bellarmine High School on Nov. 4. The 2nd-seeded girls water polo team lost to Aptos High School in the CCS semifinals on Nov. 7.
