![“[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 varsity boys soccer team crushed Eastside College Preparatory 5-0 during their senior night game on Feb. 5.
At 3:15 p.m., the team held a ceremony honoring their six seniors: Ryan Barth, Ben Cha, Alex Guo, Jason Monaghan, Dhruv Trivedi and Jack Yang. The seniors received flower bouquets and personalized posters from teammates, friends and family members.
“I’ll definitely miss the seniors,” midfielder Cyrus Ghane (10) said. “They’re great to have on the team, they’re solid players and we’re definitely going to miss them.”
Co-captain and defender Ryan Barth (12) kicked off for Harker, and co-captain and attacking midfielder Jack Yang (12) scored a goal in the first two minutes of the game. With only one attempt from Eastside on the home goal, which goalie Dhruv Trivedi (12) blocked, Harker maintained their offensive game. Jack led the attack and continued his scoring streak, making his second goal of the first half.
Ryan attempted to shoot but collided with the Panther’s goalie before netting a goal, receiving a foul for the Eagles. Co-captain and striker Ben Cha (12) successfully tallied a goal before halftime, leading the Eagles into the break 3-0.
Harker continued their high press but received more resistance from Eastside throughout the second half. Jack’s goal in the last 20 minutes broke up the pace of the game, and Ben landed Harker’s fourth goal shortly afterward.
Jack closed the game out with his third goal of the game, ending with the Eagles’ 5-0 victory. After the match, Jack commented on the thrill of playing his senior night game after four years representing the Eagles.
“It’s just surreal,” Jack said. “For the past three years, I’ve been seeing past seniors graduate, having this awesome day. It’s always full of high spirits and fun, and I’m just really glad that I was able to experience that today.”
Head coach Ryan Masch applauded the seniors’ commitment to the team and their efforts during the game.
“It was a good opportunity for the seniors to get a lot of game minutes and play in some positions they normally don’t play,” Masch said. “It was really focused on them today. They’re good leaders among the team and set a good example for the underclassmen. Today was really all about them, and they showed up and performed.”
The team currently carries a 8-10-1 overall season record. They face Sacred Heart Preparatory in a home game on Friday at 3 p.m.
Correction: A previous version of this article did not include Ben Cha (12) as one of the seniors on the varsity boys soccer team. This article has been updated on Feb. 21, 2024 to correct this error.
